Juncus bufonius |
Juncus megacephalus |
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common toad rush, toad rush |
bighead rush |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.5–4 dm. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 3–11 dm. |
Rhizomes | 3–4 diam. |
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Culms | 1–many, occasionally becoming decumbent. |
erect, terete, 3–4 mm diam., smooth. |
Cataphylls | 0–2. |
1–2, purple, apex acute. |
Leaves | basal and cauline; auricles rudimentary or absent; blade flat, 3–13 cm × 0.3–1.1 mm. |
basal 0–1, cauline 2–3; auricles 0.5–2 mm, apex acute, membranaceous; blade terete, 0–24 cm × 0.5–1.7 mm, most distal cauline leaf blade 0–2 cm, shorter than sheath. |
Inflorescences | loose and diffuse or less often compact, usually at least ½1/2 total height of plant; primary bract shorter than inflorescence. |
panicles of (1–)3–21 heads, 1–8 cm, branches erect to spreading; primary bract erect; heads 40–60-flowered, spheric, 8–12 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 straw-colored to reddish brown, lanceolate-subulate; outer tepals 2.9–4.1 mm, apex acuminate; inner tepals 2.2–3.7 mm, apex acuminate; stamens 3, anthers 1/4–1/2 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, , straw-colorerd, 1-locular, subulate, 2.5–4.2 mm, apex tapering to subulate beak, valves not separat ing at dehiscence, fertile throughout or only proximal to middle. |
Seeds | yellowish, widely ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.26–0.49, not tailed. |
ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.4 mm, not tailed; body clear yellow-brown. |
2n | = 27–37, 58–81, 108–115. |
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Juncus bufonius |
Juncus megacephalus |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting spring–early fall. | Fruiting summer. |
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 | Fresh marshes, moist hollows of sand dunes, swales, roadside ditches, and dry fertile soil |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 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; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA
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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. scirpoides var. carolinianus, J. scirpoides var. echinatus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 328. (1753) | M. A. Curtis: Boston J. Nat. Hist. 1: 132. (1835) |
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