Flora of North America species comparison

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Juncus capitatus

Juncus polycephalus

capitate rush, dwarf rush, leafy-bract dwarf rush

flatleaf rush, manyhead rush
Habit Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.3–1 dm. Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 6–10 dm.
Culms

to 20.

erect, 3–14 mm diam.
Cataphylls

absent.
Leaves

basal;

auricles absent;

blade 0.5–2.5 cm × 0.5 mm.

basal 2–3(–6), cauline 1–4, brownish green;

auricles absent;

blade 8–70 cm × 4–8 mm.
Inflorescences

glomerules 1–2, each with 2–10(–14) flowers;

bracts subtending inflorescence 1(–2), foliose, clearly surpassing inflorescence.

panicles of 16–82 heads, 10–30 cm;

primary bract erect;

heads 20–30-flowered, spheric, 8–12 mm diam.
Flowers

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.

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, globose to obovoid, 1.2–1.7 mm, shorter than tepals.

exserted, straw-colored, 1-locular, narrowly ovoid, 4–5 mm, apex tapering to beak, remaining after dehiscence.
Seeds

ellipsoid-ovoid, 0.3–0.4 mm.

lance-ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, not tailed.
2n

= 18.

Juncus capitatus

Juncus polycephalus
Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring. Fruiting spring–fall.
Habitat Moist to wet areas, usually in sandy, often disturbed soil such as roadsides or along trails 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 below 1000 m (below 3300 ft) 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; LA; OK; TX; native; Africa (north); Europe; Asia (Near East) [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Graminifolii Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Ensifolii
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. canadensis, J. capillaris, 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. pelocarpus, J. pervetus, J. phaeocephalus, 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. echinatus, J. engelmannii
Name authority Weigel: Observ. Bot. 28. (1772) Michaux: Flora Boreali-Americana 1: 192. 1803 (as polycephalos)
Web links 
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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