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

sea rush, seaside rush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 2–9 dm. Herbs, perennial, 5–10 dm.
Rhizomes

long- creeping.

thick.

Culms

closely set along rhizomes, 2–3.5 mm diam.

Cataphylls

1–3.

3–5.

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, 2–4;

auricles absent;

blade terete, 40–60 cm × 1–2 mm.

Inflorescences

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

primary bract rarely surpassing inflorescence.

glomerules, to 100, each with 2–4 flowers, congested to open, 5–19 × 2–5 cm;

primary bracts somewhat inflated, usually surpassing inflorescence.

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 straw-colored;

outer series 2.8–2.9 mm, apex acute;

inner series elliptic, 2.3–2.5 mm, apex obtuse;

stamens 6, 1.4–1.9 mm, anthers 2 times length of filaments;

style 1–1.2 mm.

Capsules

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

straw-colored, 3-locular, ovoid to ellipsoid, 2.5–3.5 × 1.2– × 1.5 mm, nearly equal to slightly exceeding perianth.

Seeds

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

brown, ellipsoid, body 0.6–0.7 mm, tails 0.5–1.2 mm.

2n

= ca. 80, 84.

= 40, 48.

Juncus gerardii

Juncus maritimus

Phenology Flowering and fruiting late spring–summer. Flowering and fruiting summer.
Habitat Forming extensive colonies in exposed coastal estuary meadows and salt marshes just above high- tide line, also inland Coastal salt marshes, saline meadows, and sand dunes
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
NY; Europe; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

It is believed that this species has not been collected in North America since the late 1800s, when it was known to occur on Long Island, New York.

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

Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Poiophylli Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Juncus
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. 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. 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) Lamarck: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 3: 264. (1789)
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