An Illustrated Key to the Juncaceae of Alberta

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AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE JUNCACEAE OF ALBERTA

Compiled and writen by Linda Kershaw & Lorna Allen

April 2019

© Linda J. Kershaw & Lorna Allen This key was compiled using informaton primarily from Moss (1983), Packer & Gould (2018), Douglas et. al. (2001) and the Flora of North America (2008-2010). Taxonomy follows VASCAN (Brouillet, 2015). Please let us know if there are ways in which the keys can be improved. The 2017 S-ranks of rare species (S1; S1S2; S2; S2S3; SU, according to ACIMS, 2017) are noted in superscript (S1;S2;SU) afer the species names. For more details go to the ACIMS web site. JUNCACEAE Rush Family Key to Genera 01a Leaves hairless, often cylindrical, seldom fat and grass-like; capsules many-seeded ...... Juncus 01b Leaves ± hairy (at least when young), fat or channelled, grass-like; capsules 3-seeded ...... Luzula

1a 1b JUNCUS Rush ------01a Flower clusters appearing to grow from the side of the stem (in fact at the base of a cylindrical bract that mimics an extension of the stem); leaves basal (mostly) or reduced to bladeless sheaths ...... 02 01b Flower clusters growing from the tip of the 3a stem, or apparently from the ‘side’ of the stem but then with a fat or channelled (not cylindrical) bract ...... 05 1a 1b 02a Flowers 2-3; seeds tipped with tail-like appendages; mountain sites ...... 03 02b Flowers several or many; seeds without appendages; sites at lower elevations across AB ...... 04 03a Upper leaves with well-developed blades; capsule tips broadly pointed; mostly from Banff south ...... Juncus parryi S2 4a 03b Upper leaves reduced to bristle-tipped sheaths; capsule tips notched/indented; throughout the cordillera ...... Juncus drummondii

3b 04a Bract (‘stem extension’) shorter than the stem; tepals brown; anthers ≥ flaments; plants 20- 90 cm tall; very common and widespread ...... Juncus balticus ...... [Juncus arcticus var. balticus] 04b Bract ≥ the stem; tepals greenish; anthers shorter than flaments; plants 5-35 cm tall; uncommon, in wetlands in the Lower Foothills and Boreal Forest ...... Juncus fliformis

4b 05a Plants annual, 5-20(30) cm tall; fower clusters diffuse, usually >2/3 of the plant height ...... Juncus bufonius 05b Plants perennial, often >20 cm tall; fower clusters not as above ...... 06

06a Leaves basal; fowering stems 3-15 cm tall; fowerheads 1(2), with 1-3(5) fowers; mostly alpine ...... 07 06b Leaves basal and on the stem; fowering stems mostly >15 cm tall; fowerheads >1 and/or with >5 fowers (occasionally 1 head with 2-4 5a fowers in Juncus stygius, but then capsules 6-8.5 mm long); mostly non-alpine ...... 08

3 07a Plants 3-10 cm tall; fowers 1-2, much shorter than the lowest leafy bract; capsules indented at the tip, much longer than the tepals Juncus biglumis S2 07b Plants 10-15 cm tall; fowers 2-4, ≈ the papery bracts; capsules pointed, ≈ the tepals Juncus triglumis ...... [Juncus albescens] 7a 08a Capsules 6-9 mm long, longer than the tepals; seeds 2.5-4.0 mm long, with conspicuous, tail- like appendages ...... 09 7b 08b Capsules 2-5.5 mm long, ≤ tepals; seeds mostly 0.4-0.6 mm long, without tail-like appendages (Juncus vaseyi and Juncus brevicaudatus short-tailed but seeds 0.5-1.2 mm long) ...10 09a Stems single, from spreading rootstocks (rhizomes); leaves ±2 mm wide ...... Juncus castaneus 09b Stems tufted, without rootstocks; leaves <1 mm wide ...... Juncus stygius 10a Leaf blades fattened sideways and oriented 9a 9b edgewise to the stem (equitant, like Iris), 3-6 mm wide ...... 11 10b Leaf blades cylindrical or fattened top-to- bottom, not oriented edgewise to the stem, mostly <3 mm wide ...... 12 11a Styles mostly >1 mm long; stamens 6; seeds 12a 0.4-1.0 mm long ....Juncus saximontanus ...... [Juncus tracyi; .Juncus ensifolius var. montanus, in part] 11a 11b Styles mostly <1 mm long; stamens 3; seeds 0.4-0.6 mm long ...... Juncus ensifolius 12a Leaves cylindrical, with ≥1 cross-partitions (septae; usually felt as bumps when the blade is run between fnger and thumb) ...... 13 11b 12b Leaves fattened or channelled, without cross- partitions ...... 18 13a Flower/fruit heads 1(2), blackish brown; montane to alpine sites in the cordillera ...... Juncus mertensianus 13b Flower/fruit heads not as above; lowland species ...... 14 14a Capsule tips slender-pointed; fowerheads appearing prickly, with wide-spreading capsules, borne on short branches...... 15 14b Capsule tips rounded or abruptly pointed; fowerheads not ‘prickly’, with erect or upward- angled capsules, borne on relatively long branches ...... 16

13a

4 15b 5a Flower/fruit heads 6-10 mm wide; tepals all similar, 2.4-4.1 mm long; capsules 3.2-5 mm 15a long, exceeding the tepals; stems 1-3 mm wide ...... Juncus nodosus 15b Flower/fruit heads 10-15 mm wide; outer tepals 4-6·mm long; inner tepals 3.5-4.5 mm; 16a capsules 4.3-5.7 mm long, ± as long as the outer tepals; stems 3-5 mm wide ...... Juncus torreyi 16a Seeds ±1 mm long, each end with a short, tail- like appendage .....Juncus brevicaudatus 16b Seeds ±0.4-0.5 mm long, without 17a 17b appendages ...... 17 17a Tepals tapered to a point; anthers longer than flaments, capsules shorter than tepals ...... Juncus nevadensis S1 17b Tepals blunt-tipped; anthers shorter than 19a flaments, capsules ≥ tepals ...... Juncus alpinoarticulatus 18a Flowers borne in compact heads; tepals sometimes minutely bumpy (papillose) on the outer/lower side; leaves fat, 1.5-4 mm wide, grass-like ...... 19 18b Flowers borne singly in branched clusters; tepals smooth; leaves fat or rounded, 0.5-1.5 mm wide ...... 20 19a Seeds tips with white, tail-like appendages ≥ the length of the seed body; montane wetlands in the Castle River valley, swAB ...... Juncus regelii S1 19b Seed tips pointed, without appendages; widespread in sAB ..... Juncus longistylis 19b 20a 20a Capsules cylindric, longer than the tepals; seeds 0.8-1.2 mm long ..... Juncus vaseyi 21a 20b Capsules cylindric to ± spherical, ≤ tepals in length; seeds 0.4-0.7 mm long ...... 21 21a Lobes at the top of leaf sheaths (auricles) 2-5 mm long, thin and ± translucent; capsules 3.8- 4.7 mm long; ...... Juncus tenuis 21b Auricles 0.2-0.7 mm long, leathery or thin and ± translucent; capsules 2.5-3.6 mm long . .22

22a Lobes at the top of leaf sheaths (auricles) leathery, yellowish, 0.2-0.4 mm long ...... Juncus dudleyi 22a 22b 22b Auricles thin and ± translucent, white or purplish, 0.3-0.7 mm long . Juncus confusus

5 LUZULA Woodrush 01a Flowers mostly ≥3 together in small, compact 2a heads (glomerules) at branch tips ...... 02 01b Flowers separate, 1-2 at branch tips .....05 02a Flower clusters simple, single spike-like 3a clusters nodding on arched stems; tepals tipped with awns ...... Luzula spicata 02b Flower clusters usually with ≥2 heads on separate stalks; tepals with or without awns 03 03a Bracts below each fower (bracteoles) strongly fringed with coarse hairs ≥ the tepals; fower clusters with slender, often arched stalks and poorly developed ± bladeless bracts; alpine sites ...... Luzula arcuata S2 03b Bracteoles with 0-few hairs, <1/2 as long as the tepals; fower clusters with stiffy erect stalks above well- developed, leafy, basal 4a bracts; lowland sites ...... 04 4b 04a Tepals 2-2.5 mm long; seeds 0.9-1.1 mm; leaf tips blunt, with a small thickening (callus); n shore of Lake Athabasca, neAB ...... Luzula groenlandica S1 5a; 04b Tepals 2-4 mm long; seeds 1.1-1.7 mm long; 6a leaves tapered to a slender point ...... Luzula multifora 05a Flower clusters umbrella-shaped, with mostly simple (undivided) branches of similar length; → seeds tipped with a conspicuous appendage ( → ; caruncle) ...... 06 05b Flower clusters repeatedly branched; seeds without caruncles ...... 07 6b 06a Basal leaves 3-12 mm wide; tepals 3-4.5 mm long; seeds reddish to brown, 1-1.5 mm long ...... Luzula acuminata 7a 06b Basal leaves 2-5 mm wide; tepals 1.6-2.5 mm long; seeds dark brown to black, 1.4 mm long ...... Luzula rufescens S2 8a 07a Tepals 2.5-3.5 mm long; anthers 1.2-1.5 mm long, 3X as long as flaments; capsules egg- shaped, 2.5-3.5 mm long, with a conspicuous, 1 mm beak ...... Luzula hitchcockii ...... [Luzula glabrata var. hitchcockii] 07b Tepals 1-2.5 mm long; anthers <1.0 mm long, ≤1X as long as flaments; capsules elliptic to round, <2.5 mm long, with a short, inconspicuous beak ...... 08 08a Plants 10-30(35) cm tall with 2-3 stem leaves; basal leaves 2-4 mm wide; small bracts below each fower fringed with long hairs ...... Luzula piperi 8b 08b Plants (20)30-100 cm tall with (3)4-6 stem leaves; basal leaves 5-10 mm wide; bracts with smooth or jagged edges, never fringed with hairs...... Luzula parvifora

6 References

Alberta Conservaton Informaton Management System (ACIMS). 2017. List of all Vas- cular Plant Taxa Confrmed for Alberta as recorded in the ACIMS database - July 2017.in A. Parks, editor. ACIMS, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.

Brouillet, L., F. Coursol, S.J. Meades, M. Favreau, M. Anions, P. Bélisle & P. Desmet. 2015. VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. htp://data. canadensys.net/vascan/

Cody, W. J. 1996. Flora of the Yukon Territory. NRC Research Press, Otawa, Ontario.

Douglas, G. W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar. 2001. Illustrated fora of Britsh Columbia. Volume 6 Monocotyledons (Acoraceae through Najadaceae). Britsh Colum- bia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, Britsh Columbia.

Flora North America Editorial Commitee. 2008-10. Flora North America website. Oxford University Press. Accessed 2014-2016. www.fna.org.

Lesica, P. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Botanical Research Insttute of Texas, Fort Worth, Texas.

Looman, J. and K. F. Best. 1979. Budd’s fora of the Canadian prairie provinces. No. 1662. Canadian Government Publishing Centre, Hull, Quebec.

Moss, E. H. 1983. Flora of Alberta. 2nd editon. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario.

Packer, J. G. and A. J. Gould. 2017. Vascular Plants of Alberta Part 1: Ferns, Fern Allies, Gymnosperms, and Monocots. University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Alberta.

7 List of Species and Illustration Sources Scientfc Name Illus. Source Juncus alpinoartculatus H&C Juncus baltcus H&C Juncus biglumis BC Key to Illustraton Sources Juncus brevicaudatus BC Juncus bufonius H&C B&B = Briton, N. L. and A. Brown (1913) Juncus castaneus H&C H&C = Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Juncus confusus H&C Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson (1955-69) Juncus drummondii H&C LK = Linda Kershaw. Juncus dudleyi H&C Juncus ensifolius H&C JM = John Maywood. Juncus fliformis H&C BC = Douglas et. al. (1999); illustratons Juncus longistylis H&C provided courtesy of the Province of Juncus mertensianus H&C Britsh Columbia. Juncus nevadensis H&C Juncus nodosus H&C Juncus parryi H&C Juncus regelii H&C Juncus saximontanus H&C Juncus stygius BC Juncus tenuis H&C Juncus torreyi H&C Juncus triglumis H&C Juncus vaseyi H&C Luzula acuminata JM; LK Luzula arcuata H&C Luzula groenlandica BC Luzula hitchcockii H&C Luzula multfora H&C Luzula parvifora H&C Luzula piperi H&C Luzula rufescens BC Luzula spicata H&C

8 Index Juncaceae 3 Juncus 3 albescens. See Juncus triglumis alpinoarticulatus 5 arcticus var. balticus. See Juncus balticus balticus 3 biglumis 4 brevicaudatu 5 bufonius 3 castaneus 4 confusus 5 drummondii 3 dudleyi 5 ensifolius 4 var. montanus. See Juncus saximontanus fliformis 3 longistylis 5 mertensianus 4 nevadensis 5 nodosus 5 parryi 3 regelii 5 saximontanus 4 stygius 4 tenuis 5 torreyi 5 tracyi. See Juncus saximontanus triglumis 4 vaseyi 5 Luzula 3, 5, 6 acuminata 6 arcuata 6 glabrata var. hitchcockii. See Luzula hitchcockii groenlandica 6 hitchcockii 6 multifora 6 parvifora 6 piperi 6 rufescens 6 spicata 6