Flora of North America species comparison

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Juncus effusus

Juncus nodatus

common bog rush, common rush, common soft rush, pasture rush, soft or lamp rush, soft rush

stout rush
Habit Herbs, perennial, 4–13 dm. Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 3–10 dm.
Roots

without terminal tubers.
Rhizomes

short -branched, forming distinct, often large clumps.

Culms

erect, terete, 1–2.5 mm diam. at top of sheaths.

erect, terete, 4–6 mm diam., smooth.
Cataphylls

several.

1–2, straw-colored, apex acute.
Leaves

blade absent.

basal 1–2, cauline 1–2;

auricles 1.2–1.5 mm, apex rounded, scarious;

blade straw-colored or green, terete, 20–65 cm × 1.1–3.5 mm, with prominent and conspicuous ringlike bands at position of cross partitions;

distal cauline leaves reduced to 2.5 cm.
Inflorescences

lateral, compound dichasia, many flowered;

primary bract erect, terete, extending well beyond dichasium.

terminal panicles of 30–250 heads, 8–12 cm, branches spreading;

primary bract erect to ascending;

heads 2–10-flowered, broadly obovoid to hemispheric, 0.3–0.5 mm diam.
Flowers

tepals tan or darker, usually with greenish midstripe, lanceolate, 1.9–3.5 mm;

inner slightly shorter;

stamens 3, filaments 0.5–0.8 mm, anthers 0.5–0.8 mm;

style 0.2 mm.

tepals straw-colored, lance-subulate, apex acuminate;

outer tepals 1.9–2.2 mm;

inner tepals 1.7–2.1 mm;

stamens 3, anthers equal filament length.
Capsules

greenish tan or darker, 3-locular, broadly ellipsoid to oblate, 1.5–3.2 mm.

exserted, straw-colored, 1-locular, ovoid, 1.9–2.5 mm, apex acute, valves separating at dehiscence.
Seeds

amber, (0.3–)0.4–0.5 mm.

oblong or ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, not tailed;

body clear yellow-brown.
2n

= 40, 42.

Juncus effusus

Juncus nodatus
Phenology Flowering summer, fruiting summer–fall. Fruiting late spring–late summer.
Habitat Swamps and their edges, marshes, moist meadows, and moist or saturated soils, often conspicuous in pasture meadows where it is shunned by grazing animals Commonly in shallow water, marshy shores, sloughs, wet flatwoods, and savannas, bogs, ditches, wet woods, shores, in standing water to 3 ft 1 m deep
Elevation Habitat??; 0–2500 m (Habitat??; 0–8200 ft) 100–200 m (300–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
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; NE; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WV; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MO; OK; TN; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The Juncus effusus complex has been variously recognized as containing several species or a single species with numerous infraspecific taxa. Unfortunately, North American treatments have dealt primarily with taxa in either the eastern or western portions of the continent. In considering the continent as a whole, little sense can be made of these treatments. The North American J. effusus complex is one that is in obvious need of modern systematic scrutiny.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Genuini 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. 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. 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. 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. conglomeratus, J. effusus var. brunneus, J. effusus var. caeruleomontanus, J. effusus var. costulatus, J. effusus var. dicipiens, J. effusus var. exiguus, J. effusus var. gracilis, J. effusus var. pylaei, J. effusus var. solutus, J. effusus var. subglomeratus, J. griscomii J. acuminatus var. robustus, J. robustus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 326. (1753) Coville: in N. L. Britton and A. Brown, Ill. Fl. N. U.S., ed. 2 1: 482. (1913)
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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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