The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

blood rush, dwarf rush, Herman's dwarf rush, Hermann's dwarf rush, juncus hemiendytus

joint-leaf rush, jointed rush

Habit Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.03–0.36 dm. Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous to nearly cespitose, 0.5–6(–10) dm.
Rhizomes

2–3 mm diam., not swollen.

Culms

to 5.

erect to decumbent (and floating), terete, 1–3 mm diam., smooth.

Cataphylls

1, maroon to straw-colored, apex acute to obtuse.

Leaves

to 1.8 cm, 1/2–1 1/3 height of plant.

basal 0–2, cauline (1–)3–6;

auricles 0.5–1 mm, apex rounded, scarious;

blade green to straw-colored, terete, 3.5–12 cm × 0.5–1.1 mm.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers.

terminal panicles of 3–30(–50) heads, 3.5–8 cm, branches spreading;

primary bract erect;

heads 3–10-flowered, obpyramidal to hemispheric, 6–8 mm diam.

Flowers

2-merous;

: tepals 4(–6), erect to recurved at maturity, reddish, 1.5–3 × 0.5–1.2 mm;

outer and outer series nearly equal, apex rounded to acute;

stamens 2(–3), filaments 0.5–1.4 mm, anthers 0.3–0.7 mm;

style 0.1–0.4 mm, stigma 2(–3), 0.3–1 mm.

tepals green to straw-colored or dark brown, ovate to lanceolate, 1.8–3 mm;

outer tepals with apex acute or acuminate;

inner tepals with apex acute acuminate to obtuse;

stamens 6, anthers equal to filament length.

Capsules

reddish, 2–- or 3-locular, obovoid to ellipsoid or oblate, 1.9–3.5 × 1–2 mm.

exserted ca. 1 mm beyond perianth, chestnut brown to dark brown, imperfectly 3-locular, ellipsoid or ovoid, 2.8–4 mm, apex acute proximal to beak, valves separating at dehiscence.

Seeds

ovoid to oblate, 0.3–0.55 mm.

obovoid, 0.5 mm, not tailed.

2n

= 80.

Juncus hemiendytus

Juncus articulatus

Phenology Fruiting mid summer–fall.
Habitat Wet ground in ditches, lake and stream margins, and a variety of other habitats, often a calciphile
Elevation 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; ID; IN; KY; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; UT; VA; VT; WA; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Juncus articulatus hybridizes with J. brevicaudatus (= J. ×fulvescens Fernald), J. alpinus (= J. ×alpiniformis Fernald), J. nodosus, and J. canadensis.

Juncus articulatus var. obtusatus Engelmann appears to be intermediate with J. alpinus. It has spreading inflorescence branches but obtuse inner tepals. This may represent a backcross with J. alpinus. Recent evidence suggests that J. alpinus is a polyploid species with J. articulatus as one of its parents.

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

Key
1. Bracts proximal to inflorescence, 1–2
var. hemiendytus
1. Bracts proximal to inflorescence absent
var. abjectus
Source FNA vol. 22, p. 232. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Graminifolii 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. gerardii, J. greenei, J. gymnocarpus, J. hallii, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
J. hemiendytus var. abjectus, J. hemiendytus var. hemiendytus
Synonyms J. brachystylus, J. brachystylus var. uniflorus, J. triformis var. uniflorus J. articulatus var. obtusatus, J. articulatus var. stolonifer, J. lampocarpus
Name authority F. J. Hermann: Leaflets of Western Botany 5: 118. (1948) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 327. (1753)
Web links