Juncus bufonius |
Juncus militaris |
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common toad rush, toad rush |
bayonet rush, jointed bog rush |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.5–4 dm. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 3–15 dm. |
Rhizomes | 3–4 diam., nodes not swollen, smooth. (often developing filiform leaves in running water). |
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Culms | 1–many, occasionally becoming decumbent. |
erect, terete to compressed, 5–12 mm diam. |
Cataphylls | 0–2. |
1–3, 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 0, cauline 2, long capillary leaves often found in fascicles on rhizomes; auricles 0.3–0.5 mm, apex rounded, scarious; blade terete, 50–70(–100) cm × 2–5 mm, those of proximal leaves usually overtopping inflorescences, distal leaves usually inflated bladeless sheaths, occasionally absent or withll well-developed blades. |
Inflorescences | loose and diffuse or less often compact, usually at least ½1/2 total height of plant; primary bract shorter than inflorescence. |
terminal panicles of 20–100 heads, 4–15 cm, branches erect to ascending; primary bract erect; heads (3–)5–13(–25)-flowered, hemispheric to turbinate, 6–8 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 or reddish, lanceolate, 2.3–3.2(–4) mm, nearly equal, apex acuminate to awned; stamens 6, anthers 1.5–2 times 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. |
straw-colored, 1-locular, ovoid, 2.3–3.3 mm, equaling perianth, tapering to subulate tip, valves separating at dehiscence. |
Seeds | yellowish, widely ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.26–0.49, not tailed. |
obovoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, not tailed; body clear yellow-brown. |
2n | = 27–37, 58–81, 108–115. |
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Juncus bufonius |
Juncus militaris |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting spring–early fall. | Fruiting late summer–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 | Mucky bottoms of shallow lakes and rivers, wet shores |
Elevation | 0–500 m (0–1600 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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CT; DE; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VT; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; SPM
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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.) |
The proximal culm leaf of Juncus militaris usually has a single well-developed leaf blade that overtops the inflorescence; and the distal leaf usually is an inflated bladeless sheath above it. An Alabama report, based on a single specimen collected by Drummond (not seen), at GH and MO, was discounted by Coville (and here). Coville believed the location and possibly the collector were wrongly attributed to this collection (see letter from Coville to Small at NY). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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 | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 328. (1753) | Bigelow: Flora Bostoniensis, 2nd Ed. 139. (1824) |
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