Juncus gerardii |
Juncus xiphioides |
|
---|---|---|
black needle rush, blackgrass, blackgrass rush, Gerard's rush, saltmarsh rush, saltmeadow rush |
iris-leaf rush |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, 2–9 dm. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 5–9 dm. |
Rhizomes | long- creeping. |
2–3 mm diam. |
Culms | erect, 2–6 mm diam. |
|
Cataphylls | 1–3. |
0 or 1–2, straw-colored, apex narrowly acute. |
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 1–3, cauline 2–6, straw-colored; auricles absent; blade 10–40 cm x (3–)7–12 mm. |
Inflorescences | 10–30(–80)-flowered, usually loose and somewhat lax, 2–16 cm; primary bract rarely surpassing inflorescence. |
panicles or racemes of 20–50 heads, 2–14 cm, erect or ascending branches; primary bract erect; heads 15–70-flowered, obovoid to globose, 7–11 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 brown or reddish brown, lanceolate, 2.4–3.7 mm, nearly equal, apex acuminate; stamens 6; anthers ½1/2 to equal filament length. |
Capsules | chestnut brown or brown, 3-locular, widely ellipsoid, (2.2–)2.5–3.2(–3.5) × 1.3–1.9 mm. |
slightly exserted, chestnut to dark brown, 1-locular, ellipsoid, 2.4–3.8 mm, apex acuminate, not beaked. |
Seeds | dark brown, ellipsoid to lunate, 0.485–0.6(–0.67) mm, not tailed. |
elliptic to obovate, 0.4–0.6 mm, not tailed. |
2n | = ca. 80, 84. |
= 40. |
Juncus gerardii |
Juncus xiphioides |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late spring–summer. | Fruiting early summer–fall. |
Habitat | Forming extensive colonies in exposed coastal estuary meadows and salt marshes just above high- tide line, also inland | Salt marshes, moist areas, ditches, springs, lake and stream shores |
Elevation | 500–1600 m (1600–5200 ft) | |
Distribution |
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
|
AZ; CA; NM; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California)
|
Discussion | This species and the next (Juncus ensifolius) are closely related and have been treated as members of a single species (J. xiphioides) by Engelmann. Until a study of the complete subgenus is done, we are hesitant to use a varietal name (J. xiphioides var. triandrus) for the widespread western taxon J. ensifolius. (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. Ensifolii |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | J. bulbosus var. gerardii, J. fucensis, J. gerardii var. pedicellatus | J. xiphioides var. auratus, J. xiphioides var. littoralis |
Name authority | Loiseleur-Deslongchamps: J. Bot. (Desvaux) 2: 284. (1809) | E. Meyer: Synopsis Juncorum 50. (1822) |
Web links |
|