The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

basket rush, mat or basket rush

jointed rush, knotted rish, knotted rush, tuberous rush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 10–20 dm. Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 0.4–5.5(–7) dm.
Rhizomes

long- creeping.

with swollen nodes, 1 mm diam.

Culms

erect, 2–5 mm diam.

erect, terete, 1–3 mm diam., smooth.

Cataphylls

several.

0 or 1–2., pink to gray, apex acute.

Leaves

blade absent.

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

lateral, many flowered, loose;

primary bract barely exceeding to many times 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

variously pedicellate;

bracteoles membranous;

tepals greenish to pale brown, lanceolate, 3.5–5 mm;

inner series loosely subtending capsule at maturity, usually slightly shorter, margins scarious to clear, acutish;

stamens 6, filaments 0.3–0.9 mm, anthers 1–2.5 mm;

style 1–1.5 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

dark brown, 3-locular, oblate to narrowly ovoid, 3–4 mm, nearly equal to perianth.

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

dark amber, oblate to ellipsoid, 0.5–0.8 mm.

oblong, ellipsoid, or obovoid, 0.4–0.5 mm, not tailed.

2n

= 40.

Juncus textilis

Juncus nodosus

Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer. Fruiting early summer–fall.
Habitat Moist or wet exposed areas Sandy and muddy shores of lakes, streams, rivers, and estuaries (both freshwater and brackish), swamps, fens, salt marshes, and wet fields, often calcareous
Elevation 100–1800 m (300–5900 ft) 0–2200 m (0–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
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)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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. Genuini Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Septati
Sibling taxa
J. acuminatus, J. acutiflorus, J. acutus, J. alpinoarticulatus, J. anthelatus, J. arcticus, J. articulatus, J. biglumis, J. bolanderi, J. brachycarpus, J. brachycephalus, J. brachyphyllus, J. brevicaudatus, J. bryoides, J. bufonius, J. bulbosus, J. caesariensis, J. canadensis, J. capillaris, J. capitatus, J. castaneus, J. chlorocephalus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. cooperi, J. coriaceus, J. covillei, J. debilis, J. dichotomus, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, J. dubius, J. dudleyi, J. effusus, J. elliottii, J. ensifolius, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. filipendulus, J. georgianus, J. gerardii, J. greenei, J. gymnocarpus, J. hallii, J. hemiendytus, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, J. leiospermus, J. lesueurii, J. longistylis, J. luciensis, J. macrandrus, J. macrophyllus, J. marginatus, J. maritimus, J. megacephalus, J. mertensianus, J. militaris, J. nevadensis, J. nodatus, J. nodosus, J. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pelocarpus, J. pervetus, J. phaeocephalus, J. polycephalus, J. regelii, J. repens, J. roemerianus, J. scirpoides, J. secundus, J. squarrosus, J. stygius, J. subcaudatus, J. subtilis, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. texanus, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. trifidus, J. triformis, J. triglumis, J. trigonocarpus, J. uncialis, J. validus, J. vaseyi, J. xiphioides
J. acuminatus, J. acutiflorus, J. acutus, J. alpinoarticulatus, J. anthelatus, J. arcticus, J. articulatus, J. biglumis, J. bolanderi, J. brachycarpus, J. brachycephalus, J. brachyphyllus, J. brevicaudatus, J. bryoides, J. bufonius, J. bulbosus, J. caesariensis, J. canadensis, J. capillaris, J. capitatus, J. castaneus, J. chlorocephalus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. cooperi, J. coriaceus, J. covillei, J. debilis, J. dichotomus, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, J. dubius, J. dudleyi, J. effusus, J. elliottii, J. ensifolius, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. filipendulus, J. georgianus, J. gerardii, J. greenei, J. gymnocarpus, J. hallii, J. hemiendytus, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, J. leiospermus, J. lesueurii, J. longistylis, J. luciensis, J. macrandrus, J. macrophyllus, J. marginatus, J. maritimus, J. megacephalus, J. mertensianus, J. militaris, J. nevadensis, J. nodatus, J. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pelocarpus, J. pervetus, J. phaeocephalus, J. polycephalus, J. regelii, J. repens, J. roemerianus, J. scirpoides, J. secundus, J. squarrosus, J. stygius, J. subcaudatus, J. subtilis, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. texanus, J. textilis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. trifidus, J. triformis, J. triglumis, J. trigonocarpus, J. uncialis, J. validus, J. vaseyi, J. xiphioides
Synonyms J. lesueurii var. elatus J. nodosus var. meridionalis, J. rostkovii
Name authority Buchenau: Abhandlungen herausgegeben vom naturwissenschaftlichen Vereine zu Bremen 17: 336. (1903) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl., ed. 2 1: 466. (1762)
Web links