Juncus tenuis |
Juncus leiospermus |
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path rush, poverty or slender rush, poverty rush, slender rush |
dwarf rush, red bluff dwarf rush, smooth-seed rush |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, tufted, 1.5–5 dm. | Herbs, annual, cespitose, 0.2–1.2 dm. |
Rhizomes | densely branching. |
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Culms | few–20. |
to 100, (0.2–)0.4–0.8 mm diam.. |
Leaves | basal, (1–)2–3; auricles 2–5 mm, apex acute, membranous; blade flat, 3–12 cm × 0.5–1 mm, margins entire. |
1/3–3/4 height of plant. |
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 clusters, each with 1–7 flowers; bracts subtending inflorescence 2–8, round to acutely ovate, inconspicuous, 0.7–2.4 mm, membranous. |
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 reddish to black, narrowly lanceolate to oblong, 2–4.6 × 0.5–1.4 mm; inner series usually slightly longer than outer, apex obtuse to acuminate; stamens 3, filaments 0.5–1.4 mm, anthers 1–3.2 mm; style persistent, 1.4–4 mm, stigma 1.3–4 mm. |
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. |
reddish, 3-locular, globose to ellipsoid or oblong, 2–4.5 × 1–3 mm, nearly equal to sepals. |
Seeds | tan, ellipsoid to lunate, (0.52–)5.5–0.65(–0.7) mm, not tailed. |
ovoid, 0.35–0.45 mm. |
n | = 16. |
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2n | = 80. |
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Juncus tenuis |
Juncus leiospermus |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Flowering and fruiting in spring. |
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) | Margins of vernal pools |
Elevation | 0–500 m (0–1600 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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CA
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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.) |
Plants from Butte and Calaveras Ccounties, California, tend to be smaller and consistently develop only one flower per culm; they may be recognized as Juncus leiospermus var. ahartii Ertter. Of conservation concern. (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. Graminifolii |
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. leiospermus var. ahartii |
Name authority | Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 2(1): 214. (1799) | F. J. Hermann: Leaflets of Western Botany 5: 113. (1948) |
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