OregonFlora: Juncus supiniformis vs. Juncus ranarius

	Juncus supiniformis	Juncus ranarius
	hair-leaved rush, spreading rush	frog rush
Habit	Plants perennial, 3–50 cm tall, cespitose, forming mats if submerged, sometimes stoloniferous with stems trailing and rooting at nodes.	Plants annual, 3–10(17)cm tall, branched.
Leaves	numerous; capillary, 0.2– 0.3 mm wide if aquatic; round; hollow, septate; auricles 0.8–2.1 mm.	usually less than 1 mm wide; stem leaves usually 1–2.
Inflorescences	open, cymes of 2–9 clusters; clusters 2–5(12)-flowered, often bearing leafy bulblets.	cymose; flowers solitary at nodes.
Flowers	tepals 6, 3.4–5.4 mm, brown; greenish or reddish; inner tepal margins usually inrolled; tips acuminate; stamens 3 or 6; filaments 0.8–1.5 mm; anthers 0.5–0.8 mm; styles 0.1–0.4 mm.	tepals 6, green to light brown; outer tepals usually 4–5 mm; inner more or less blunt; stamens 6; filaments 0.7– 1.5 mm; anthers 0.4–0.8 mm; styles 0.3–0.4 mm.
Capsules	usually 1–1.5 mm longer than the tepals, brown to dark brown; without metallic gloss, 1-chambered.	usually truncate (blunt to subacute); (shorter than) more or less equaling inner tepals, brown, 1-chambered.
Seeds	ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.6–1 × 0.2–0.3 mm, apiculate, striate.	0.35–0.5 × 0.25–0.35 mm, apiculate.
2n		=34.

	Juncus supiniformis	Juncus ranarius
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Shores, peatlands, marshes, wet dune hollows, often in shallow water. 0–1100 m. Est, Casc. CA, WA, north to AK. Native. Like introduced Juncus bulbosus, this species can bear bulblets in the inflorescence, and both are variable in habit depending on water levels. They differ in the shape of the tepal tips and length of the capsules. Juncus articulatus is similar but has blunter tepal tips and is common on disturbed wet ground.	Moist clay, stream banks, disturbed wet ground. 0–2000m. BR. CA; scattered across North America; North Africa, Eurasia. Exotic. Juncus ranarius is similar to J. bufonius, as well as Eurasian J. ambiguus, a misapplied name in our flora. The taxonomy of these species is controversial (Balslev 1996), and the complex needs worldwide revision. It is presumably exotic in North America and easily overlooked.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 283 Peter Zika	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 283 Peter Zika
Sibling taxa	J. acuminatus, J. anthelatus, J. articulatus, J. balticus, J. bolanderi, J. brevicaudatus, J. breweri, J. bryoides, J. bufonius, J. bulbosus, J. canadensis, J. capillaris, J. capitatus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. conglomeratus, J. covillei, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, J. dudleyi, J. effusus, J. ensifolius, J. ensifolius x Juncus nevadensis, J. exiguus, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. gerardi, J. hemiendytus, J. hesperius, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, J. laccatus, J. lescurii, J. longistylis, J. marginatus, J. mertensianus, J. mexicanus, J. nevadensis, J. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pelocarpus, J. planifolius, J. ranarius, J. regelii, J. saximontanus, J. tenuis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. triglumis, J. trilocularis, J. uncialis	J. acuminatus, J. anthelatus, J. articulatus, J. balticus, J. bolanderi, J. brevicaudatus, J. breweri, J. bryoides, J. bufonius, J. bulbosus, J. canadensis, J. capillaris, J. capitatus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. conglomeratus, J. covillei, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, J. dudleyi, J. effusus, J. ensifolius, J. ensifolius x Juncus nevadensis, J. exiguus, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. gerardi, J. hemiendytus, J. hesperius, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, J. laccatus, J. lescurii, J. longistylis, J. marginatus, J. mertensianus, J. mexicanus, J. nevadensis, J. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pelocarpus, J. planifolius, J. regelii, J. saximontanus, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. triglumis, J. trilocularis, J. uncialis
Synonyms	Juncus oreganus	Juncus ambiguus, Juncus bufonius var. halophilus
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Juncus ranarius

hair-leaved rush, spreading rush

frog rush

Habit

Plants perennial, 3–50 cm tall, cespitose, forming mats if submerged, sometimes stoloniferous with stems trailing and rooting at nodes.

Plants annual, 3–10(17)cm tall, branched.

Leaves

numerous; capillary, 0.2– 0.3 mm wide if aquatic; round; hollow, septate;

auricles 0.8–2.1 mm.

usually less than 1 mm wide;

stem leaves usually 1–2.

Inflorescences

open, cymes of 2–9 clusters; clusters 2–5(12)-flowered, often bearing leafy bulblets.

cymose;

flowers solitary at nodes.

Flowers

tepals 6, 3.4–5.4 mm, brown; greenish or reddish;

inner tepal margins usually inrolled;

tips acuminate;

stamens 3 or 6;

filaments 0.8–1.5 mm;

anthers 0.5–0.8 mm;

styles 0.1–0.4 mm.

tepals 6, green to light brown;

outer tepals usually 4–5 mm; inner more or less blunt;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.7– 1.5 mm;

anthers 0.4–0.8 mm;

styles 0.3–0.4 mm.

Capsules

usually 1–1.5 mm longer than the tepals, brown to dark brown; without metallic gloss, 1-chambered.

usually truncate (blunt to subacute); (shorter than) more or less equaling inner tepals, brown, 1-chambered.

Seeds

ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.6–1 × 0.2–0.3 mm, apiculate, striate.

0.35–0.5 × 0.25–0.35 mm, apiculate.

=34.

Juncus ranarius

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Shores, peatlands, marshes, wet dune hollows, often in shallow water. 0–1100 m. Est, Casc. CA, WA, north to AK. Native.

Like introduced Juncus bulbosus, this species can bear bulblets in the inflorescence, and both are variable in habit depending on water levels. They differ in the shape of the tepal tips and length of the capsules. Juncus articulatus is similar but has blunter tepal tips and is common on disturbed wet ground.

Moist clay, stream banks, disturbed wet ground. 0–2000m. BR. CA; scattered across North America; North Africa, Eurasia. Exotic.

Juncus ranarius is similar to J. bufonius, as well as Eurasian J. ambiguus, a misapplied name in our flora. The taxonomy of these species is controversial (Balslev 1996), and the complex needs worldwide revision. It is presumably exotic in North America and easily overlooked.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 283
Peter Zika

Sibling taxa