OregonFlora species comparison

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Juncus tenuis

Juncus saximontanus

path rush, poverty rush, slender rush

Rocky Mountain rush
Habit Plants perennial, 15–50 cm tall, cespitose, usually delicate, base usually green to brown, with 0–1(2) strong longitudinal stem ridges visible on a side. Plants perennial, 20–60 cm tall, rhizomatous.
Leaves

thin and wiry;

blade flat and slightly inrolled, usually 1–8 mm on early season shoots; dirty white or translucent, scarious; acute or acuminate;

auricles soft and thin.

flat; iris-like, blue-green, partially septate;

auricles 0–1.2 mm.
Inflorescences

cymes, usually small, 1–6 cm; individual flowers often longer than internodes;

bractlets subtending flowers usually acute (blunt).

(2)10–20 clusters; clusters 4–25-flowered.
Flowers

tepals 6, 3–4.1 mm, green to reddish;

tips acuminate;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.6–1.2 mm;

anthers usually 0.4–0.6(0.8)mm;

styles 0.1–0.3(0.5)mm.

tepals 6, often green (red) to medium brown (dark brown);

stamens usually 6;

filaments 0.6–1.1 mm;

anthers 0.4–0.9 mm;

style 0.4–0.9 mm.
Capsules

usually 2.5–3 mm; more than 75% the length of; and shorter than the tepals, pale brown;

apex usually blunt (acute), not crested, 1-chambered.

shorter than to longer than the tepals, brown to dark brown or blackish, obtuse or acute, 1-chambered.
Seeds

0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.25 mm, apiculate.

0.4–0.5 × 0.25–0.3 mm, apiculate, reticulate.
2n

=40, 80.

Juncus tenuis

Juncus saximontanus
Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Shores, swales, springs, dune hollows, wet woods, marshes, damp paths, ditches, cranberry farms, moist disturbed sites. 0–1800m. BW, Casc, CR, Est, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, NV, ID, WA; throughout most of North America. Native.

Juncus tenuis is usually much smaller than Juncus anthelatus. The blunt unridged capsules separate J. tenuis from J. confusus, J. occidentalis, and J. trilocularis.

Shores, creek banks, springs, swales, peatlands, ditches. 100– 2500m. BW, Casc, ECas, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to AK, northeast to Manitoba, southeast to TX, south to Mexico. Native.

Juncus saximontanus has six stamens per flower and is usually found east of the Cascade Range. It is weakly separated from J. ensifolius, which has three stamens per flower. Tepal color, inflorescence shape, and style length are unreliable means to separate them. A few plants have three to six stamens and are of uncertain status, perhaps representing hybrids.
Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 284
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. supiniformis, 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. ranarius, J. regelii, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. triglumis, J. trilocularis, J. uncialis
Synonyms Juncus tenuis var. tenuis Juncus ensifolius var. brunnescens, Juncus ensifolius var. montanus, Juncus saximontanus var. robustior, Juncus saximontanus var. saximontanus, Juncus xiphioides, Juncus xiphioides var. xiphioides
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from OregonFlora.



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