United States Department of Field Guide to Agriculture Forest Service Intermountain Intermountain Research Station Rushes General Technical Report INT-306 Emerenciana G. Hurd Sherel Goodrich May 1994 Revised January 1997 Nancy L. Shaw THE AUTHORS Idaho, an M.S. degree in botany at Idaho State University, and a Ph.D. EMERENCIANA G. HURD is bota- degree in crop science at Oregon nist with the Intermountain Re- State University. search Station at the Forestry Sci- ences Laboratory in Boise, ID. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Originally from the Phillipines, she holds a B.S. degree in biology from Warren Clary, Project Leader of Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, the Intermountain Research and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Station’s Riparian/Stream Ecology botany from Northern Arizona and Management Research Work University. Unit, suggested the idea of devel- SHEREL GOODRICH is range con- oping field guides for grasslike spe- servationist for the Ashley National cies of Intermountain riparian areas. Forest, Vernal, UT. He received a We appreciate his helpful advise B.S. degree in range management and leadership in the accomplish- from Utah State University in 1971 ment of this work. We offer special and an M.S. degree in botany from thanks to Joy Mastrogiuseppe, cu- Brigham Young University in 1981. rator of the Marion Ownbey Her- He worked extensively in Utah and barium, Washington State Univer- central Nevada when he was with sity, for her taxonomic assistance; the Intermountain Research Sta- Lynda Smithman, Intermountain tion, Provo, UT. Research Station, for her helpful suggestions and encouragement; NANCY L. SHAW is botanist with Joe Duft for his assistance with the Intermountain Research Station photography; and Gary Hurd for his at the Forestry Sciences Laboratory willingness to drive long distances in Boise, ID. She completed a B.S. in search of uncommon species. degree in zoology at the College of Front cover art: Juncus balticus, drawn by Lenora Oosterhuis, an emigrant from Holland, a forest ecologist, and a freelance biological artist living in Boise, ID. Intermountain Research Station 324 25th Street Ogden, UT 84401 CONTENTS Page Page Introduction ................................... 1 J. filiformis ............................ 27 References .................................... 1 J. hallii .................................. 29 Morphology ................................... 2 J. howellii ............................. 31 Descriptions .................................. 2 J. longistylis ......................... 33 General Description: J. mertensianus ................... 35 Juncus L. .............................. 2 J. nevadensis ....................... 37 Species Descriptions ................. 7 J. nodosus ........................... 39 Juncus alpinus ....................... 9 J. orthophyllus ...................... 41 J. articulatus ......................... 11 J. parryi ................................ 43 J. balticus ............................. 13 J. regelii ............................... 45 J. bufonius ........................... 15 J. tenuis ............................... 47 J. confusus ........................... 17 J. torreyi ............................... 49 J. covillei .............................. 19 J. triglumis ............................ 51 J. drummondii ...................... 21 J. tweedyi ............................. 53 J. effusus ............................. 23 Glossary ...................................... 54 J. ensifolius .......................... 25 Index of Common Names ........... 56 Field Guide to Intermountain Rushes Emerenciana G. Hurd Introduction Sherel Goodrich Nancy L. Shaw INTRODUCTION inflorescences, flowers, capsules, seeds, distribution and habitat, Application of new information and similar species. Line draw- from the rapidly evolving fields References ings and black and white or color of riparian ecology, classification, photographs illustrate the species’ management, and restoration re- growth habit, inflorescences, fruits, quires accurate identification of and seeds. After the descriptions the biological components of these is a glossary of terms used in this rich and varied ecosystems. In ri- guide. The concluding section is parian areas, vegetation charac- an index of common names. teristically includes several taxo- Line drawings in this publica- nomically difficult groups, among tion were reproduced from them the sedges, rushes, willows, Hitchcock and others (1969), with and grasses. This guide provides permission from the University of individuals working in Inter- Washington Press. Photographs mountain riparian areas with a were made by the senior author. tool to aid in identifying members Species descriptions were devel- of one of these groups, the rushes oped from Davis (1952), Cronquist (Juncus spp.). and others (1977), Goodrich and The geographic area considered Neese (1986), Hermann (1975), in preparing this guide includes Hitchcock and Cronquist (1973), southeastern Oregon, Nevada, Hitchcock and others (1969), Utah, western Wyoming, and Welsh and others (1987), and Idaho south of the Salmon River. examination of specimens in the The 23 rushes described include Intermountain Research Station the common and several less Herbarium (BOIS), Boise, ID; abundant species. The guide is the Marion Ownbey Herbarium, not inclusive; readers are advised Washington State University to consult comprehensive local flo- (WS), Pullman, WA; and the ras to verify identifications. Harold M. Tucker Herbarium This guide begins with morpho- (CIC), Albertson College, logical illustrations. Then, after Caldwell, ID. a general description of the genus, species are presented alphabeti- cally by scientific name. Their REFERENCES technical descriptions include Davis, Ray J. 1952. Flora of Idaho. characteristics of the growth Provo, UT: Brigham Young Uni- habit, leaves, involucral bracts, versity. 836 p. 1 Cronquist, Arthur; Holmgren, MORPHOLOGY Arthur H.; Holmgren, Noel H.; Descriptions in this guide may Reveal, James L.; Holmgren, perhaps be more easily under- Patricia K. 1977. Intermountain stood if the reader refers to fig- flora: vascular plants of the In- ures 1 through 3—illustrations termountain West, USA. Vol. 6. of morphological characteristics. New York: Columbia Press. A glossary at the end of the 584 p. publication contains further defi- Goodrich, Sherel; Neese, nitions of these characteristics Elizabeth. 1986. Uinta Basin and of other terms used in the flora. Ogden, UT: U.S. Depart- descriptions. ment of Agriculture, Forest Ser- vice, Intermountain Region. 320 p. DESCRIPTIONS Hermann, Frederick J. 1975. General Description: Manual of the rushes (Juncus spp.) of the Rocky Mountains Juncus L. and Colorado Basin. Gen. Tech. Plants perennial, or infre- Rep. RM-18. Fort Collins, CO: quently annual, glabrous, grass- U.S. Department of Agriculture, like; stems caespitose or arising Forest Service, Rocky Mountain few together from rhizomes, terete Forest and Range Experiment to flattened, not jointed, leafless Station. 107 p. to leafy; leaves basal or alternate, Hitchcock, Leo C.; Cronquist, sometimes 2-ranked; leaf sheaths Arthur. 1973. Flora of the Pa- open at the base, commonly with cific Northwest. Seattle: Univer- hyaline or scarious margins, these sity of Washington Press. 730 p. often prolonged upward on the Hitchcock, Leo C.; Cronquist, sides at the juncture with the Arthur; Ownbey, Marion; blade to form rounded to acumi- Thompson, J. W. 1969. Vascular nate auricles; auricles rarely ex- plants of the Pacific Northwest. tending outward like those of Part 1. Vascular cryptogams, grass leaves, but sometimes gymnosperms, and monocotyle- confluent, forming a ligule; leaf dons. Seattle: University of blades lacking or reduced to a Washington Press. 914 p. bristle or well developed and lin- Padgett, Wayne G.; Youngblood, ear, flat, equitant, or terete and Andrew P.; Winward, Alma H. often hollow or filled with pith 1989. Riparian community type and septate-nodulose; inflores- classification of Utah and south- cence terminal, essentially cy- eastern Idaho. R4-Ecol-89-01. mose, from diffuse and paniclelike Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of or corymblike to greatly congested, Agriculture, Forest Service, In- sometimes of 1 to many cymose termountain Region. 191 p. heads or clusters; the involucral Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, D. N.; bract reduced to greatly elongate Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry. and flat to terete (when terete the 1987. A Utah flora. Great Basin inflorescence may appear lateral Naturalist Memoir 9. 894 p. on the stem); branches, heads, 2 and pedicels often subtended by triquetrous capsule, unilocular bractlets; flowers few (rarely 1) to with 3 parietal placentae or tri- many, small, perfect, greenish to locular from the intrusion of the purplish-brown or black, sessile or placentae; seeds numerous, pedicellate, sometimes subtended minute, commonly ellipsoid to by 2 entire hyaline-scarious fusiform and apiculate, faintly re- prophylls borne at the pedicel ticulate or areolate, sometimes apex and directly beneath the with one or both ends prolonged perianth; perianth regular, more into a slender tail that may be or less scarious, chartaceous, or longer than the body and of softer partly herbaceous or hyaline, of- texture; n = 3-36. A genus of more ten persistent during fruiting; pe- than 200 species, widely distrib- rianth segments 6 in 2 series of 3, uted, best developed in moist to equal or the inner series often the wet places of temperate and bo- shorter; stamens (1, 2) 3 or 6, when real