Juncus canadensis |
Juncus capitatus |
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Canada rush, Canadian rush |
capitate rush, dwarf rush, leafy-bract dwarf rush |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 3–10 dm. | Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.3–1 dm. |
Culms | erect, 1–5 mm diam., smooth. |
to 20. |
Cataphylls | 0 or 1–2, straw-colored, apex rounded. |
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Leaves | basal 1, cauline 2–3; auricles 1–1.2 mm, apex rounded, scarious; blade terete, 7–22 cm × 1.2–3 mm. |
basal; auricles absent; blade 0.5–2.5 cm × 0.5 mm. |
Inflorescences | panicles or racemes of 3–50 heads, 2–20 cm, branches erect to ascending; primary bract erect; heads 5–50-flowered, obconic to spheric, 3–10 mm diam. |
glomerules 1–2, each with 2–10(–14) flowers; bracts subtending inflorescence 1(–2), foliose, clearly surpassing inflorescence. |
Flowers | tepals green or straw-colored to reddish brown, lanceolate; outer tepals 2.7–3.8 mm, apex acuminate; inner tepals 2.9–4 mm, apex acuminate; stamens 3(–6), anthers 1/2 filament length. |
tepals 6, tan to brownish, subulate, lanceolate-ovate, 3.5–4.5(–5) mm, 2 times length of inner tepals, margins scarious; inner series delicate, shorter, apex acute; stamens 3, filaments 1 mm, anthers 0.5 mm; style 0.4–0.7 mm. |
Capsules | equaling perianth or exserted, chestnut brown, imperfectly 3-locular, lanceoloid, 3.3–4.5 mm, acute proximal to beak, valves separating at dehiscence. |
tan to reddish brown, 3-locular, globose to obovoid, 1.2–1.7 mm, shorter than tepals. |
Seeds | fusiform, 1.1–1.9 mm, tailed; body covered with whitish translucent veil. |
ellipsoid-ovoid, 0.3–0.4 mm. |
2n | = 80. |
= 18. |
Juncus canadensis |
Juncus capitatus |
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Phenology | Fruiting mid summer–fall. | Flowering and fruiting spring. |
Habitat | Salt, brackish, and calcareous marshes, acid bogs, roadsides, tidal flats, swamps, patterned fen, lake shores, beaches | Moist to wet areas, usually in sandy, often disturbed soil such as roadsides or along trails |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | below 1000 m (below 3300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM
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CA; LA; OK; TX; native; Africa (north); Europe; Asia (Near East) [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Two varieties and two forms occurring within the flora have been recognized (M. L. Fernald 1945b). Juncus canadensis var. sparsiflorus has stiffly erect inflorescence branches, and the flowers are generally longer than those of var. canadensis. These varieties simply serve to give name to parts of the broad morphologic range of variation encountered in J. canadensis and do not appear to represent any distinct biological entities. Juncus canadensis and the following three species form a distinctive group: they have ve been variously treated as speecies (as here), varieties of J. canadensis, or as two species, J. canadensis and a polymorphic species, J. brachysephalus, encompassing the other three species (B. Boivin 1967–1979, part IV). Most of the species are easily recognized at their extremes but show a fair amount of overlap. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | J. canadensis var. longicaudatus, J. canadensis var. sparsiflorus, J. longicaudatus, J. polycephalus var. paradoxus | |
Name authority | J. Gay ex Laharpe: in J. J. C. de Laharpe, Essai Monogr. Jonc. 46. (1825) | Weigel: Observ. Bot. 28. (1772) |
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