Juncus tenuis |
Juncus acutiflorus |
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path rush, poverty or slender rush, poverty rush, slender rush |
sharpflower rush |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, tufted, 1.5–5 dm. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, to 8 dm. |
Rhizomes | densely branching. |
5–6 mm diam., nodes not swollen. |
Culms | few–20. |
erect, terete, 3 mm diam., smooth. |
Cataphylls | 1, straw-colored, apex acute. |
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Leaves | basal, (1–)2–3; auricles 2–5 mm, apex acute, membranous; blade flat, 3–12 cm × 0.5–1 mm, margins entire. |
basal 1, cauline 2; auricles 0.5 mm, apex rounded, cartilaginous; blade 7–45 cm x 1–2 mm, terete, not scabrous. |
Inflorescences | 5–40-flowered, borne congested or branch internodes ca. as long as tepals, ssomewhat loose, 1–5 cm; primary bract usually longer than inflorescence. |
terminal panicles of 70–120 heads, 6–10 cm, branches ascending; primary bract erect; heads 3–5(–8)-flowered, obconic, 2–4 mm diam. |
Flowers | bracteoles 2; tepals greenish, lanceolate, 3.3–4.4 mm; outer and inner series nearly equal; stamens 6, filaments 0.5–0.9 mm, anthers 0.1–0.2 mm; style 0.1–0.2 mm. |
tepals dark reddish brown, lanceolate, apex acuminate to subulate tipte; outer tepals 1.9–2.2 mm; inner tepals 2–2.3 mm; stamens 6, anthers 2 times filament length. |
Capsules | tan or light brown, 1-locular to pseudo-3-locular, ellipsoid, (3.3–)3.8–4.7 × (1.1–)1.3–1.7 mm, nearly equal to tepals. |
inserted with beak exserted, straw-colored, 1-locular, narrowly ovoid, 2.3–2.4 mm, tapering to subulate tip, valves separating at dehiscence. |
Seeds | tan, ellipsoid to lunate, (0.52–)5.5–0.65(–0.7) mm, not tailed. |
narrowly ovoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, not tailed; body clear yellow-brown. |
2n | = 80. |
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Juncus tenuis |
Juncus acutiflorus |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Fruiting fall. |
Habitat | Exposed or shaded sites in soils ranging from sandy to clayey under moist or drier conditions, oftentimes these sites naturally or otherwise disturbed (e.g., game or human trails) | Wet woods |
Elevation | 0–10 m (0–0 ft) | |
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK [Introduced worldwide]
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NF; SPM; Europe; Asia; Africa |
Discussion | Juncus tenuis occurs throughout North America. It is particularly abundant in northeastern United States and eastern Canada, although infrequent in the south and west. Through the use of isozyme electrophoresis, hybridization can be demonstrated between various members of the Juncus tenuis complex, including Juncus tenuis, J. anthelatus, J. interior, J. secundus, and J. dichotomus (R. E. Brooks, unpubl.). Juncus ××oronensis is thought to be a hybrid between J. tenuis and J. vaseyi in the northeast. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Poiophylli | Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Septati |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | J. bicornis, J. bicornis var. williamsii, J. macer, J. macer, J. macer var. williamsii, J. tenuis var. bicornis, J. tenuis var. multicornis, J. tenuis var. williamsii | |
Name authority | Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 2(1): 214. (1799) | Ehrhart: in G. F. Hoffmann, Deutschl. Fl. 1: 125. (1791) |
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