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black needle rush, blackgrass, blackgrass rush, Gerard's rush, saltmarsh rush, saltmeadow rush

diffuse rush, slim-fruit rush, slim-pod rush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 2–9 dm. Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 2.5–6.5 dm.
Rhizomes

long- creeping.

Culms

erect, terete, 1–3 mm diam., smooth.

Cataphylls

1–3.

0–1, maroon or dark green, apex obtuse.

Leaves

basal, (1–)2–4;

auricles 0.4–0.6(–0.8) mm, scarious;

blade flat or somewhat channeled, 10–40 cm × 0.4–0.7 mm, margins entire.

basal 1, cauline 2–3;

auricles 1–2.1 mm, apex rounded, membranaceous;

blade maroon or dark green, terete to compressed, 3–20 cm × 1–2.4 mm.

Inflorescences

10–30(–80)-flowered, usually loose and somewhat lax, 2–16 cm;

primary bract rarely surpassing inflorescence.

terminal panicles of 30–70(–130), 5–20 cm, branches spreading;

primary bract erect;

;

heads (1–)2–10-flowered, hemispheric or narrower, 5–10 mm diam.

Flowers

bracteoles 2;

tepals dark brown or blackish, lanceolate-ovate to oblong, 2.6–3.2(–3.8) mm;

inner and outer series nearly equal, apex obtuse;

stamens 6, filaments 0.4–0.7 mm, anthers 1.1–1.6(–1.8) mm;

style 0.4 mm.

tepals green to straw-colored, lanceolate, apex acute;

outer tepals (2–)2.6–3.2 mm;

inner tepals (1.8–)2.3–3 mm;

stamens 3, anthers 1/2–2/3 filament length.

Capsules

chestnut brown or brown, 3-locular, widely ellipsoid, (2.2–)2.5–3.2(–3.5) × 1.3–1.9 mm.

exserted, , straw-colored, 1-locular, linear-lanceoloid, 4–5.2 mm, apex acute, valves separating at dehiscence.

Seeds

dark brown, ellipsoid to lunate, 0.485–0.6(–0.67) mm, not tailed.

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

body clear yellow-brown.

2n

= ca. 80, 84.

Juncus gerardii

Juncus diffusissimus

Phenology Flowering and fruiting late spring–summer. Fruiting summer.
Habitat Forming extensive colonies in exposed coastal estuary meadows and salt marshes just above high- tide line, also inland In soft mucky substrates, marshy shores, sloughs, occasionally in wet wooded places, often in shallow water, commonly abundantly colonizing wet, sandy- alluvial outwash in ditches and clearings
Elevation 10–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; CT; DE; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; OR; PA; RI; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM; Greenland; Europe; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WA; WV [Probably introduced, South America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Poiophylli 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. filiformis, J. filipendulus, J. georgianus, 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. 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. bulbosus var. gerardii, J. fucensis, J. gerardii var. pedicellatus
Name authority Loiseleur-Deslongchamps: J. Bot. (Desvaux) 2: 284. (1809) Buckley: Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 14: 9. (1862)
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