Juncus brachycephalus |
Juncaceae |
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small-head rush |
rush family |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 2–7 dm. | Herbs, perennial, occasionally annual, usually rhizomatous, orsometimes cespitose. |
Culms | erect, 1–4 mm diam., smooth. |
round or flat. |
Cataphylls | 1–2, straw-colored to pink, apex acute. |
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Leaves | basal 1–3, cauline 1–2; auricles 0.6–1.5 mm, apex rounded, scarious; blade terete to compressed, 0.2–12 cm × 0.5–2 mm. |
mostly basal; sheath margins fused or overlapping, often with 2 earlike extensions (auricles) at blade junction; blade flat or round, glabrous or margins hairy. |
Inflorescences | panicles of 5–80 heads, 5–25 cm, branches ascending; primary bract erect; heads 2–6-flowered, ellipsoid to obovoid, 2–5 mm diam. |
of headlike clusters or single flowers variously arranged; bracts subtending inflorescence 1 or more2, mostly leaflike; bracts subtending inflorescence branches 1–2, reduced; bracteoles subtending solitary flower 0–2, translucent, reduced. |
Flowers | tepals green to light brown, lanceolate; outer tepals 1.8–2.5 mm, apex obtuse to nearly acute; inner tepals 2–2.8 mm, apex obtuse to nearly acute; stamens 3 or 6, anthers 1/2 filament length. |
usually bisexual, radially symmetric; sepals and petals similar, persistent, green to brown or purplish black; stamens usually 3 or 6; anthers persistent, linear; pistils 1; ovaries superior, locules 1 or 3, placentas 1 and basal or 3 and axile or parietal; stigmas generally longer than styles. |
Fruits | capsules, loculicidal. |
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Capsules | exserted, chestnut to dark brown, imperfectly 3-locular, obconic, 2.4–3.8 mm, apex acute proximal to beak, valves separating at dehiscence. |
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Seeds | ellipsoid to fusiform, 0.8–1.2 mm, tailed; body covered with whitish translucent veil. |
3–many, often with white appendages on 1 or both ends. |
2n | = 80. |
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Juncus brachycephalus |
Juncaceae |
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Phenology | Fruiting summer–early fall. | |
Habitat | Calcareous marshes, wet meadows, and wetland shores | |
Elevation | 100–200 m (300–700 ft) | |
Distribution |
AL; CO; CT; GA; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; QC;
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Arctic and temperate regions; tropical mountains |
Discussion | Genera 9, species ca. 350 (2 genera, 1108 species in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key | ||
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22, p. 211. |
Parent taxa | Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Septati | |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | J. canadensis var. brachycephalus | |
Name authority | (Engelmann) Buchenau: Botanische Jahrbucher fur Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 12: 268. (1890) | A. L. Jussieu |
Web links |
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