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JUNCACEAE

RUSH FAMILY

Janice Coffey Swab

Annual, perennial herb, generally from rhizomes
Stem round or flat
Leaves generally mostly basal; sheath margins fused, or overlapping and generally with 2 ear-like extensions at blade junction; blade round, flat, or vestigial, glabrous or margin hairy
Inflorescence: head-like clusters or single flowers, variously arranged; bracts subtending inflorescence 2, generally leaf-like; bracts subtending inflorescence branches 1–2, reduced; bractlets subtending flowers generally 1–2, generally translucent
Flower generally bisexual, radial; sepals and petals similar, persistent, green to brown or purplish black; stamens generally 3 or 6, anthers linear, persistent; pistil 1, ovary superior, chambers generally 1 or 3, placentas 1 and basal or 3 and axile or parietal, stigmas generally > style
Fruit: capsule, loculicidal
Seeds 3–many, often with white appendages on 1 or both ends
Genera in family: 9 genera, 325 species: temp, arctic, tropical mtns. Fls late spring to early fall.

JUNCUS

RUSH

Annual, perennial herb; rhizome (if any) generally with scale-like leaves
Stem generally cylindric or flat
Leaf: blade well developed and cylindric or flat, or reduced to small point; crosswalls often present (pull fresh blade apart lengthwise to see or slide leaf between fingers to feel); appendages often present at blade-sheath junction
Inflorescence generally terminal (appearing lateral when pushed aside by lowest inflorescence bract); bractlets 0–2
Flowers: stamens generally 3 or 6 (2 in some very small annual taxa); pistil 1, ovary chambers 1 or 3, placentas axile or parietal, stigmas generally 3(2)
Seeds many
Species in genus: 225 species: worldwide, especially n hemisphere
Etymology: (Latin: to join or bind, from use of stems)
Reference: [Ertter 1986 Mem NY Bot Gard 39:1–90]

Native

J. marginatus Rostk. var. marginatus

Perennial 15–70 cm; rhizome short, thick, knotty
Stem slender
Leaves distributed along stem; sheath appendages rounded, scarious; blade with flat side toward stem, < inflorescence, 1–6 mm wide, soft, crosswalls 0
Inflorescence open or compact; lowest bract << inflorescence; clusters 2–40, 5–12-flowered
Flower: perianth segments 2.5–3.5 mm (sepals < petals), sharply acute (petals blunter), reddish brown; stamens 3, filaments >> purplish red anthers
Fruit = perianth, spheric; beak 0
Seed 0.5 mm, ovoid, brown; appendages minute
Chromosomes: 2n=38,40
Ecology: Swampy places
Elevation: < 1000 m.
Bioregional distribution: n Sierra Nevada Foothills
Distribution outside California: scattered across US, s Canada

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