Juncus bufonius |
Juncus polycephalus |
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common toad rush, toad rush |
flatleaf rush, manyhead rush |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.5–4 dm. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 6–10 dm. |
Culms | 1–many, occasionally becoming decumbent. |
erect, 3–14 mm diam. |
Cataphylls | 0–2. |
absent. |
Leaves | basal and cauline; auricles rudimentary or absent; blade flat, 3–13 cm × 0.3–1.1 mm. |
basal 2–3(–6), cauline 1–4, brownish green; auricles absent; blade 8–70 cm × 4–8 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 16–82 heads, 10–30 cm; primary bract erect; heads 20–30-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 green to reddish, lance-subulate, 3–4 mm, nearly equal, apex acuminate; stamens 3, anthers 1/3–1/2 length of filaments. |
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-colored, 1-locular, narrowly ovoid, 4–5 mm, apex tapering to beak, remaining after dehiscence. |
Seeds | yellowish, widely ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.26–0.49, not tailed. |
lance-ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, not tailed. |
2n | = 27–37, 58–81, 108–115. |
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Juncus bufonius |
Juncus polycephalus |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting spring–early fall. | Fruiting spring–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 | Wet or seasonally wet shores, depressions, occasionally in fairly deep water of streams, usually with a peaty or mucky substrate, occasionally sandy to gravelly |
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
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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. Ensifolii |
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. echinatus, J. engelmannii |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 328. (1753) | Michaux: Flora Boreali-Americana 1: 192. 1803 (as polycephalos) |
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