Juncus tenuis |
Juncus alpinoarticulatus |
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path rush, poverty or slender rush, poverty rush, slender rush |
alpine rush, northern green rush, northern rush |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, tufted, 1.5–5 dm. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 0.5–5 dm. |
Rhizomes | densely branching. |
2–4 mm diam., not swollen. |
Culms | few–20. |
erect, terete, 1–3 mm diam., smooth. |
Cataphylls | 0–1, straw-colored or maroon, 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 0–2, cauline 1–2(–5); auricles 0.5–1.2 mm, apex rounded, scarious; blade green to straw-colored, terete, 1.5–12 cm × 0.5–1.1 mm. |
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 5–25 heads, 3–11 cm, branches erect to ascending; primary bract erect; heads 2–10-flowered, obpyramidal, usually with some flowers short- pedicellateled, 2–6 mm in 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 greenish to straw-colored, lanceolate to oblong; outer tepals 1.8–3 mm, apex obtuse, mucronate; inner tepals 1.6–2.7 mm, apex obtuse; stamens 6, anthers 1/2 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. |
equaling perianth to usually exserted, chestnut brown to straw-colored, imperfectly 3-locular, oblong to oblong-ovoid, 2.3–3.5 mm, apex obtuse, valves separating at dehiscence. |
Seeds | tan, ellipsoid to lunate, (0.52–)5.5–0.65(–0.7) mm, not tailed. |
oblong to ovoid, 0.5–0.7 mm, not tailed. |
2n | = 80. |
= 40. |
Juncus tenuis |
Juncus alpinoarticulatus |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Fruiting mid summer–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 meadows, sandy and gravelly, often calcareous shores, fens, and clayey pools over rock |
Elevation | 0–2600 m (0–8500 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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AK; CO; IA; ID; IL; IN; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NY; OH; PA; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; ; Eurasia
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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.) |
Several attempts have been made to separate subspecies or varieties of this widespread and variable species. In one study, five varieties were recognized, with four in North America (B. Lindquist 1932) . In another, at least six subspecies were recognized with two in North America (L. Hämet-Ahti 1986). The variation we.have encountered does not fit nicely into the subspecies Hämet-Ahti has recognized, and until a full account of the variation throughout the range of the species is presented, we are not recognizing subspecific or varietal divisions of this species. Recent evidence suggests that this species may be one of the parents of the tetraploid Juncus articulatus. Juncus alpinus hybridizes with J. brevicaudatus (= J. × gracilescens J. Hermann), J. articulatus (= J. × alpiniformis Fernald), J. nodosus (= J. × nodosiformis Fernald), and J. torreyi (= JuncusJ. ×stuckeyi Reinking). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22, p. 254. |
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 | J. alpinus, J.. alpinoarticulatus subsp. americanus, J.. alpinoarticulatus subsp. fuscescens, J.. alpinus var. americanus, J.. alpinus, J.. alpinus var. fuscescens, J.. alpinus var. insignis, J.. alpinus subsp. nodulosus, J.. alpinus var. rariflorus, J.. nodulosus, J.. rariflorus, J.. richardsonianus |
Name authority | Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 2(1): 214. (1799) | Chaix: in D. Villars, Hist. Pl. Dauphiné 1: 378. (1786) |
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