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dubius rush, mariposa rush, questionable rush

grass rush, grass-leaf rush, grassleaf or red-anther rush

Habit Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 3–7.5 dm. Herbs, perennial, occasionally tufted, sometimes rhizomatous, 3–13 dm.
Rhizomes

2–3 mm diam., not swollen.

short, knotty.

Culms

erect, terete, 2–4 mm diam., smooth or rugulose.

compressed.

Cataphylls

1–2, pink to straw-colored, apex acute.

Leaves

basal 1–2, cauline 1–2;

auricles 1–4.9 mm, , apex rounded, membranaceous;

blade green to straw-colored, terete, 20–30 cm × 1.5–4 mm, rugulose or smooth.

basal and cauline;

auricles 0.5–1.5 mm, apex rounded, membranous;

basal blade flat, 20–4.5 dcm × 1.5–5 mm, cauline reduced.

Inflorescences

terminal panicles of 25–66 heads, 7–13 cm, branches spreading;

primary bract erect;

heads 6–10-flowered, hemispheric to obovoid, 5–10 mm diam.

glomerules, (2–)5–200, each with (1–)2–10(–20) flowers, mostly open, 3–10(–15) cm;

primary bract shorter than inflorescence.

Flowers

tepals straw-colored to brown, lanceolate, apex acuminate;

outer tepals (2–)2.5–3.4 mm;

inner tepals (2–)2.6–3.6 mm;

stamens 6, anthers 1.5–2 times filament length.

tepals dark brownish, usually with green midstripe, outer series ovate-lanceolate, 1.8–3.2 mm, margins broad, clear, awned or not, apex acutish;

inner series ovate to lanceolate, 2–3.5 mm, slightly longer than outer series, apex obtuse to acute, awned or not;

stamens 3, opposite outer tepals, shorter to longer than tepals, filaments 1.1–2.5 mm, anthers 0.3–1.2 mm;

style 0.3 mm.

Capsules

exserted, chestnut brown, 1-locular, subuloidsubulate, (2.4–)3–3.9 mm, apex tapering to subulate tip, valves separating at dehiscence.

brown and sometimes dark spotted, 3-locular, obovoid to nearly globose, 1.8–2.9 mm, shorter to longer than perianth.

Seeds

obovoid, 0.3–0.4 mm, not tailed.

yellow to light brown, fusiform, 0.4–0.7 mm, not tailed.

2n

= 40.

= 38, 40.

Juncus dubius

Juncus marginatus

Phenology Fruiting early summer–late fall. Flowering and fruiting late spring–fall.
Habitat Montane meadows, riverbeds, canyons, aroyos Moist to wet sandy, peaty, or clayey soils, usually in open areas including bogs, shores, marshes, and ditches
Elevation 100–1600 m (300–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NS; ON; Mexico; Central America; West Indies (Cuba)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Juncus dubius has rugulose stems and leaves throughout most of its range, but on the periphery (in Mariposa, San Diego, and Sonoma counties, California) the plants are smooth.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The number of glomerules per inflorescence, stamen length vs.versus perianth length, and tepal shape have separately and in combination been used to distinguish a number of taxa at various nomenclaturalorial ranks. These characters, however, vary considerably across the distribution of the species (broad sense) and do so independently of one another to the point that if separate taxa are recognized, they pass insensibly among each other.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Septati Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Graminifolii
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. capitatus, J. castaneus, J. chlorocephalus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. cooperi, J. coriaceus, J. covillei, J. debilis, J. dichotomus, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, 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. 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
Synonyms J. rugulosus J. aristulatus, J. aristulatus var. pinetorum, J. biflorus, J. longii, J. marginatus var. aristulatus, J. marginatus var. biflorus, J. marginatus var. odoratus, J. marginatus var. paucicapitatus, J. marginatus var. setosus, J. marginatus var. vulgaris, J. odoratus, J. setosus
Name authority Engelmann Rostkovius: de Junco 38, plate 2, fig. 3. (1801)
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