Juncus bufonius |
Juncus occidentalis |
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common toad rush, toad rush |
prairie rush, slender juncus, western rush |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.5–4 dm. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 3–6 dm. |
Rhizomes | densely branching. |
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Culms | 1–many, occasionally becoming decumbent. |
few–20. |
Cataphylls | 0–2. |
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Leaves | basal and cauline; auricles rudimentary or absent; blade flat, 3–13 cm × 0.3–1.1 mm. |
basal, (1–)2–3; auricles 0.5–1(–1.5) mm, apex acutish, membranous; blade flat, 5–15 cm × 0.5–1.3 mm, margins entire. |
Inflorescences | loose and diffuse or less often compact, usually at least ½1/2 total height of plant; primary bract shorter than inflorescence. |
5–50-flowered, somewhat loose, 1–7 cm; primary bract usually longer than inflorescence. |
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. |
bracteoles 2; tepals greenish, lanceolate, (3.5–)5 mm; outer and inner series nearly equal; stamens 6, filaments 0.5–1 mm, anthers 0.1–0.3 mm; style 0.1–0.2 mm. |
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. |
light brown, 1-locular to pseudo-3-locular, ellipsoid, (3–)5–4.5 × 1.2–1.8 mm, nearly equal to shorter than tepals. |
Seeds | yellowish, widely ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.26–0.49, not tailed. |
tan, ellipsoid to lunate, 5.5–0.7 mm, not tailed. |
2n | = 27–37, 58–81, 108–115. |
= 80. |
Juncus bufonius |
Juncus occidentalis |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting spring–early fall. | Flowering spring–early 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 | Moist, usually exposed sites in clayey or sandy soil around springs, along rivers and streams, and around lakes |
Elevation | below 2300 m (below 7500 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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AZ; CA; ID; NV; OR; WA
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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.) |
Juncus occidentalis should perhaps be considered a robust variant of J. tenuis. (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. Poiophylli |
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. tenuis var. occidentalis, J. tenuis var. congestus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 328. (1753) | (Coville) Wiegand: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 27: 521. (1900) |
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