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thread rush

knotty-leaf rush, sharp-fruit rush, tapered rush, tapertip rush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.2–3.5 dm. Herbs, perennial, cespitose, not rhizomatous, 1.4–10 dm.
Rhizomes

widely creeping, sparingly branched, 1.5–2 mm diam., nodes closely set.

Culms

terete, 1 mm diam.

erect, terete, 1–3 mm diam., smooth.

Cataphylls

several.

1–2, gray, apex acute.

Leaves

blade absent.

basal 1–2, cauline 1–2;

auricles 1–1.5 mm, apex rounded, scarious;

blade green, straw-colored, or pink, nearly terete, 1–40 cm.

Inflorescences

3–10(–12)-flowered, loosely congested, 1–2 cm;

primary bract terete, nearly equaling to much longer than culm.

terminal panicles of 5–50 heads, 5–15 cm, branches ascending;

primary bract erect;

heads (2–)5–20(–50)-flowered, hemispheric (to spheric), 3–10 mm diam.

Flowers

pedicellate;

bracteoles broadly ovate, tepals light brown or green, lanceolate, 2.5–4.2 mm;

inner series loosely subtending capsule at maturity, slightly shorter, margins scarious;

stamens 6, filaments 0.5–0.9 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7 mm;

style 0.2 mm.

tepals light brown to greenish, lanceolate, 2.6–3.5(–3.9) mm, apex acuminate;

stamens 3 (or 6), anthers 1/3 filament length.

Capsules

tan, 3-locular, nearly globose, 2.5–3 × 1.8–2.1 mm, shorter than perianth.

equaling perianth or slightly exserted, straw-colored, 1-locular, ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid, 2.8–3.5(–4) mm, apex acute, valves separating at dehiscence, fertile throughout or only proximal to middle.

Seeds

amber, 0.5–0.6 mm, not tailed.

ellipsoid to oblong, 0.3–0.4 mm, not tailed;

body clear yellow-brown.

2n

= 40, 70, 80, 84.

= 40.

Juncus filiformis

Juncus acuminatus

Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer. Fruiting early summer–fall.
Habitat Usually sandy, moist or wet soil along stream banks, pools, lakes or in meadow depressions, rarely in bogs, frequently hidden by larger vegetation Shores, swamps, ditches, springs, wet meadows, and rock outcrops
Elevation 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) 0–2200 m (0–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; ID; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OR; PA; UT; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; Greenland; Eurasia; Atlantic Islands (Iceland)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
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; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NS; ON; QC; Mexico; Central America (Honduras)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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. effusus, J. elliottii, J. ensifolius, J. falcatus, 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. 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. 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. acuminatus var. legitimus, J. pallescens, J. pondii
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 326. (1753) Michaux: Flora Boreali-Americana 1: 192. (1803)
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