Flora of North America species comparison

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Juncus polycephalus

Juncus capillaris

flatleaf rush, manyhead rush

hair-stem dwarf rush, hair-stem rush, hairystem dwarf rush, slender stem dwarf rush
Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, 6–10 dm. Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.09–0.6 dm.
Culms

erect, 3–14 mm diam.

to 20.
Cataphylls

absent.

Leaves

basal 2–3(–6), cauline 1–4, brownish green;

auricles absent;

blade 8–70 cm × 4–8 mm.

to 2.2 cm.
Inflorescences

panicles of 16–82 heads, 10–30 cm;

primary bract erect;

heads 20–30-flowered, spheric, 8–12 mm diam.

headlike clusters, each with 1–2 flowers;

bracts subtending inflorescence 2–4, ovate, inconspicuous, 0.8–1.5 mm, membranous, apex acute.
Flowers

tepals green to reddish, lance-subulate, 3–4 mm, nearly equal, apex acuminate;

stamens 3, anthers 1/3–1/2 length of filaments.

tepals 4–6, chestnut brown to black, 1.8–2.8 × 0.8–1.5 mm;

inner series usually slightly longer than outer, apex acuminate to attenuate;

stamens 2–3, filaments 0.6–1.1 mm, anthers 0.3–0.4 mm;

style 0.1–0.3 mm, stigma 0.4–0.6 mm.
Capsules

exserted, straw-colored, 1-locular, narrowly ovoid, 4–5 mm, apex tapering to beak, remaining after dehiscence.

tan or apex reddish, 2– or 3-locular, globose to obovoid, 1.2–2 × 1.1–1.5 mm, usually shorter than tepals.
Seeds

lance-ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, not tailed.

ellipsoid-ovoid, 0.5–0.8 mm.
n

= 18.

Juncus polycephalus

Juncus capillaris
Phenology Fruiting spring–fall. Flowering spring–mid summer.
Habitat Wet or seasonally wet shores, depressions, occasionally in fairly deep water of streams, usually with a peaty or mucky substrate, occasionally sandy to gravelly Moist, bare flats, short turf, and mossy areas in meadows, stream banks, and seepage areas on outcrops (usually granite)
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft) 1200–3200 m (3900–10500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Juncus capillaris occurs in California in the Sierra Nevada and in Oregon in the Steens Mountains.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Ensifolii Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Graminifolii
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. 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. 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. 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. echinatus, J. engelmannii
Name authority Michaux: Flora Boreali-Americana 1: 192. 1803 (as polycephalos) F. J. Hermann: Leaflets of Western Botany 5: 116. (1948)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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