Juncus bufonius |
Juncus brachycephalus |
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common toad rush, toad rush |
small-head rush |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.5–4 dm. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 2–7 dm. |
Culms | 1–many, occasionally becoming decumbent. |
erect, 1–4 mm diam., smooth. |
Cataphylls | 0–2. |
1–2, straw-colored to pink, apex acute. |
Leaves | basal and cauline; auricles rudimentary or absent; blade flat, 3–13 cm × 0.3–1.1 mm. |
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. |
Inflorescences | loose and diffuse or less often compact, usually at least ½1/2 total height of plant; primary bract shorter than inflorescence. |
panicles of 5–80 heads, 5–25 cm, branches ascending; primary bract erect; heads 2–6-flowered, ellipsoid to obovoid, 2–5 mm diam. |
Flowers | bracteoles 2; tepals greenish, lanceolate, 3.8–7(–8.5) mm; inner series slightly shorter, apex sometimes obtuse; stamens 3–6, filaments (0.7–)1–1.8 mm, anthers 0.3–0.8 mm; style 0.1–0.2 mm. |
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. |
Capsules | tan to reddish brown, 3-locular, ellipsoid to narrowly so, slightly truncate, 2.7–4 × 1–1.5 mm, sometimes exceeding inner tepals but usually not outer series. |
exserted, chestnut to dark brown, imperfectly 3-locular, obconic, 2.4–3.8 mm, apex acute proximal to beak, valves separating at dehiscence. |
Seeds | yellowish, widely ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.26–0.49, not tailed. |
ellipsoid to fusiform, 0.8–1.2 mm, tailed; body covered with whitish translucent veil. |
2n | = 27–37, 58–81, 108–115. |
= 80. |
Juncus bufonius |
Juncus brachycephalus |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting spring–early fall. | Fruiting summer–early fall. |
Habitat | Moist soils in meadows, along lakeshores or stream banks, ditches, or roadsides, especially frequent in drawdown areas, usually in open sites and often becoming weedy | Calcareous marshes, wet meadows, and wetland shores |
Elevation | 100–200 m (300–700 ft) | |
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; nearly worldwide
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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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Discussion | Nearly worldwide, Juncus bufonius is found essentially throughout North America except north of the Alaskan and Canadian tTaiga. Juncus bufonius is a highly polymorphic complex that is poorly understood systematically. Insufficient evidence exists upon which to base the segregation of the plethora of taxa that have been recognized out of this group in the past. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Poiophylli | Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Septati |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | J. bufonius var. congestus, J. bufonius var. halophilus, J. bufonius var. hybridus, J. bufonius var. occidentalis, J. bufonius var. ranarius, J. congestus, J. ranarius | J. canadensis var. brachycephalus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 328. (1753) | (Engelmann) Buchenau: Botanische Jahrbucher fur Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 12: 268. (1890) |
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