Flora of North America species comparison

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Juncus canadensis

Juncus pelocarpus

Canada rush, Canadian rush

brown-fruit rush, jonc à fruits bruns
Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 3–10 dm. Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 0.3–7 dm.
Rhizomes

1–3 mm diam., nodes not swollen.
Culms

erect, 1–5 mm diam., smooth.

erect, terete, 1–2 mm diam., smooth.
Cataphylls

0 or 1–2, straw-colored, apex rounded.

0 (rarely 1, straw-colored, apex obtuse).
Leaves

basal 1, cauline 2–3;

auricles 1–1.2 mm, apex rounded, scarious;

blade terete, 7–22 cm × 1.2–3 mm.

basal 0–2, cauline 1–4, small fascicles of short capillary leaves often on rhizomes and stems;

auricles 0.3–1 mm, apex rounded, membranaceous;

blade terete, 1.5–11 cm × 0.8–1.1 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.

terminal cymes, flowers single or paired at nodes, (rarely in 3s), 2–25 cm, branches spreading to erect;

primary bract erect.
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 straw-colored, oblong;

outer tepals 1.6–2.3 mm, apex obtuse;

inner tepals 1.8–2.8 mm, apex obtuse;

stamens 6, anthers 2–3 times filament length.
Capsules

equaling perianth or exserted, chestnut brown, imperfectly 3-locular, lanceoloid, 3.3–4.5 mm, acute proximal to beak, valves separating at dehiscence.

included to exserted, chestnut brown, 1-locular, narrowly ovoid, 1.5–3.5 mm, apex acute proximal to beak, valves separating at dehiscence, fertile only proximal to middle.
Seeds

fusiform, 1.1–1.9 mm, tailed;

body covered with whitish translucent veil.

ovoid, 0.3–0.5 mm, not tailed;

body clear yellow-brown.
2n

= 80.

= 40.

Juncus canadensis

Juncus pelocarpus
Phenology Fruiting mid summer–fall. Fruiting late summer–fall.
Habitat Salt, brackish, and calcareous marshes, acid bogs, roadsides, tidal flats, swamps, patterned fen, lake shores, beaches Shores, peat bogs, sandy soils, pools, occasionally submersed in lakes, rarely in salt water
Elevation 0–200 m (0–700 ft) 0–600 m (0–2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; VA; VT; WI; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Populations from Virginia and south have been separated as Juncus pelocarpus var. crassicaudex (J. abortivus) based on their taller culms and thicker rhizomes. The evidence used to support the varietal status for the southeastern plants (N. A. Murray and D. M. Johnson 1987) clearly demonstrates that these plants are the southern end of a cline.

The flowers are often replaced by bulbils.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22, p. 245.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Septati Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Septati
Sibling taxa
J. acuminatus, J. acutiflorus, J. acutus, J. alpinoarticulatus, J. anthelatus, J. arcticus, J. articulatus, J. biglumis, J. bolanderi, J. brachycarpus, J. brachycephalus, J. brachyphyllus, J. brevicaudatus, J. bryoides, J. bufonius, J. bulbosus, J. caesariensis, J. capillaris, J. capitatus, J. castaneus, J. chlorocephalus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. cooperi, J. coriaceus, J. covillei, J. debilis, J. dichotomus, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, J. dubius, J. dudleyi, J. effusus, J. elliottii, J. ensifolius, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. filipendulus, J. georgianus, J. gerardii, J. greenei, J. gymnocarpus, J. hallii, J. hemiendytus, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, J. leiospermus, J. lesueurii, J. longistylis, J. luciensis, J. macrandrus, J. macrophyllus, J. marginatus, J. maritimus, J. megacephalus, J. mertensianus, J. militaris, J. nevadensis, J. nodatus, J. nodosus, J. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pelocarpus, J. pervetus, J. phaeocephalus, J. polycephalus, J. regelii, J. repens, J. roemerianus, J. scirpoides, J. secundus, J. squarrosus, J. stygius, J. subcaudatus, J. subtilis, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. texanus, J. textilis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. trifidus, J. triformis, J. triglumis, J. trigonocarpus, J. uncialis, J. validus, J. vaseyi, J. xiphioides
J. acuminatus, J. acutiflorus, J. acutus, J. alpinoarticulatus, J. anthelatus, J. arcticus, J. articulatus, J. biglumis, J. bolanderi, J. brachycarpus, J. brachycephalus, J. brachyphyllus, J. brevicaudatus, J. bryoides, J. bufonius, J. bulbosus, J. caesariensis, J. canadensis, J. capillaris, J. capitatus, J. castaneus, J. chlorocephalus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. cooperi, J. coriaceus, J. covillei, J. debilis, J. dichotomus, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, J. dubius, J. dudleyi, J. effusus, J. elliottii, J. ensifolius, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. filipendulus, J. georgianus, J. gerardii, J. greenei, J. gymnocarpus, J. hallii, J. hemiendytus, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, J. leiospermus, J. lesueurii, J. longistylis, J. luciensis, J. macrandrus, J. macrophyllus, J. marginatus, J. maritimus, J. megacephalus, J. mertensianus, J. militaris, J. nevadensis, J. nodatus, J. nodosus, J. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pervetus, J. phaeocephalus, J. polycephalus, J. regelii, J. repens, J. roemerianus, J. scirpoides, J. secundus, J. squarrosus, J. stygius, J. subcaudatus, J. subtilis, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. texanus, J. textilis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. trifidus, J. triformis, J. triglumis, J. trigonocarpus, J. uncialis, J. validus, J. vaseyi, J. xiphioides
Synonyms J. canadensis var. longicaudatus, J. canadensis var. sparsiflorus, J. longicaudatus, J. polycephalus var. paradoxus J. abortivus, J. pelocarpus var. crassicaudex, J. pelocarpus var. sabulonensis
Name authority J. Gay ex Laharpe: in J. J. C. de Laharpe, Essai Monogr. Jonc. 46. (1825) E. Meyer: Syn. Luzul. 30. (1823)
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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