Juncus tenuis |
Juncus nodosus |
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path rush, poverty or slender rush, poverty rush, slender rush |
jointed rush, knotted rish, knotted rush, tuberous rush |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, tufted, 1.5–5 dm. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 0.4–5.5(–7) dm. |
Rhizomes | densely branching. |
with swollen nodes, 1 mm diam. |
Culms | few–20. |
erect, terete, 1–3 mm diam., smooth. |
Cataphylls | 0 or 1–2., pink to gray, 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 2–4, green to pink; auricles 0.5–1.7 mm, apex rounded, membranaceous to cartilaginous; blade terete, 6–30 cm × 0.5–1.5 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 racemes of 3–15 heads, 0.6–6 cm, branches ascending to erect; primary bract erect; heads 6–30-flowered, spheric, 6–10(–12) 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 light brown, lance-subulate, 2.4–4.1 mm, nearly equal, apex acuminate; stamens 3 or 6, anthers 1/2 to equal 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. |
exserted, chestnut brown, 1-locular, lance-subulate, 3.2–5 mm, apex tapering, 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, ellipsoid, or obovoid, 0.4–0.5 mm, not tailed. |
2n | = 80. |
= 40. |
Juncus tenuis |
Juncus nodosus |
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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) | Sandy and muddy shores of lakes, streams, rivers, and estuaries (both freshwater and brackish), swamps, fens, salt marshes, and wet fields, often calcareous |
Elevation | 0–2200 m (0–7200 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; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SD; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Mexico (s to Puebla)
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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.) |
The Texas populations and some of the northern Mexican populations consistantly have 3 stamens. These populations have been separated as Juncus nodosus var. meridionalis. Plants with 3 stamens are found elsewhere, however, and other significant characters do not appear to separate these populations. (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. 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. meridionalis, J. rostkovii |
Name authority | Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 2(1): 214. (1799) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl., ed. 2 1: 466. (1762) |
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