The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links
Photo is of parent taxon

leopold's rush, sharp rush, wire grass

Habit Herbs, perennial, robust, tufted, often forming clumps to 1 m diam., 6–12 dm. Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous.
Culms

3–4 mm diam.

Stems

terete.

Cataphylls

1–2.

Leaves

basal, 2–4;

sheaths brownish, inflated;

auricles absent or prolonged 1–3 mm, cartilaginous;

blade terete, 30–100 dcm × 2–3 mm.

basal;

blade terete, not septate.

Inflorescences

sympodial or appearing lateral, glomerules numerous, each with 2–5 flowers, branches unequal, 5–20 cm;

primary bract inflated, usually shorter than inflorescence.

terminal (sometimes appearing lateral) panicles of few to many heads, sympodial;

bracteoles absent proximal to perianth.

Flowers

tepals straw-colored, brown-tipped, 2–4 mm;

outer tepals widely lanceolate, margins scarious, apex obtuse to acutish;

inner tepals rounded, shorter;

stamens 6, filaments 0.2–0.4 mm, anthers 1.2–1.8 mm;

style 1–1.2 mm.

in few-flowered heads.

Capsules

yellow-brown, pseudo-3-locular, nearly globose, 3.5–5 × 2.4–3.3 mm, obviously exceeding perianth, mucronate.

3-locular or pseudo-3-locular.

Seeds

brownish, obliquely obovoid, body 0.6–0.7 mm, tails 0.2–0.3 mm.

usually tailed (not tailed in J. roemerianus).

Juncus acutus subsp. leopoldii

Juncus subg. Juncus

Phenology Flowering and fruiting late spring–summer.
Habitat Moist saline habitats and alkaline seeps
Elevation below 300 m (below 1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; South America; Mexico (Baja California); South Africa; Atlantic Islands
[BONAP county map]
Worldwide; coastal in North America
Discussion

Species 9 (4 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Capsules 3.5–5 mm; plants of sw United States.
→ 2
1. Capsules less than 3.5 mm, shorter than or nearly equal to perianth; plants of ne United States Atlantic Coast.
→ 3
2. Capsules nearly globose, obviously longer than perianth
J. acutus subsp. leopoldii
2. Capsules ellipsoid, nearly equal to or shorter than perianth
J. cooperi
3. Capsules nearly equal to perianth; seeds tailed
J. maritimus
3. Capsules distinctly shorter than perianth; seed not tailed
J. roemerianus
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Juncus > Juncus acutus Juncaceae > Juncus
Subordinate taxa
J. acutus subsp. leopoldii, J. cooperi, J. maritimus, J. roemerianus
Synonyms J. leopoldii, J. acutus var. sphaerocarpus, J. acutus var. sphaerocarpus, J. robusta J. section Acuti, J. section Juncastrum, J. section Maritimi, J. section Thalassii, J. subg. Juncastrum, J. subg. Thalassii
Name authority (Parlatore) Snogerup: Bot. Not. 131: 187. (1978) unknown
Web links