Juncus tenuis |
Juncus torreyi |
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path rush, poverty or slender rush, poverty rush, slender rush |
Torrey's rush |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, tufted, 1.5–5 dm. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, (3–)4–10 dm. |
Rhizomes | densely branching. |
1–3 mm diam., with swollen nodes. |
Culms | few–20. |
erect, terete, 3–5 mm diam., smooth. |
Cataphylls | 0. |
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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 1–3, cauline 2–5, auricles 1–4 mm, apex rounded, scarious; blade strawberry-colored, green, or pink, terete, 13–30 cm × 1–5 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 clusters of 1–23 heads or single heads, 2–5.5 cm, branches spreading; primary bract erect to ascending; heads 25–100-flowered, globose, 10–15 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 green to straw-colored, occasionally reddish, lanceolate-subulate; outer tepals (3.7–)4–6 mm, apex acuminate; inner tepals (3–) 3.4–4.6 mm, apex acuminate; 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 or slightly exserted, straw-colored or chestnut brown, 1-locular, lance-subulate, 4.3–5.7 mm, apex tapering to subulate tip, valves separating at dehiscence, fertile throughout or only proximal to middle. |
Seeds | tan, ellipsoid to lunate, (0.52–)5.5–0.65(–0.7) mm, not tailed. |
oblong to ellipsoid, 0.4–0.5 mm, not tailed; body clear yellow-brown. |
2n | = 80. |
= 40. |
Juncus tenuis |
Juncus torreyi |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Fruiting early 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 sandy shores, edges of sloughs, along slightly alkaline watercourses, swamps, sometimes on clay soils, calcareous wet meadows, and alkaline soils |
Elevation | 0–600 | |
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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AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; ON; QC; SK; Mexico (Baja California, probably elsewhere in n Mexico)
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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.) |
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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 | J. nodosus var. megacephalus, J.uncus megacephalus, J.uncus nodosus var. megacephalus, J.uncus megacephalus |
Name authority | Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 2(1): 214. (1799) | Coville: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 22:303. (1895) |
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