JUNCACEAE – RUSH FAMILY Plant: annual or more often perennial Stem: solid or hollow, mostly round or sometimes flat Root: Leaves: mostly linear, sessile, parallel veins, flat or more often round and wiry, usually basal, sheath either closed or overlapping, auricles (ears) often present at leaf-stem junction Flowers: small, 3 sepals and 3 petals (usually dull and look like scales), in single flowers or clusters from the sides of the stem, a leaf-like bract often subtends each cluster or head; mostly perfect, regular (actinomorphic); 3 or 6 stamens; 1 pistil, ovary superior Fruit: capsule with many seeds Other: Monocotyledons Group Genera: 9+ genera 2 slides per species WARNING – family descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive JUNCACEAE – RUSH FAMILY Whiteroot Rush; Juncus brachycarpus Engelm. Weak Rush; Juncus debilis A. Gray Slimpod Rush; Juncus diffusissimus Buckley Common Rush; Juncus effusus L. Grass-Leaf Rush; Juncus marginatus Rostk. Lopsided Rush; Juncus secundus P. Beauv. ex Poir. Path [Poverty] Rush; Juncus tenuis Willd. Torrey's Rush; Juncus torreyi Coville Roundhead Rush; Juncus validus Coville Bulbous Woodrush; Luzula bulbosa (Alph. Wood) Smyth & Smyth (Luzula campesteris (L.) DC. var bulbosa) Whiteroot Rush – p1 USDA Juncus brachycarpus Engelm. Juncaceae (Rush Family) Near Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri Notes: perennial; stems (culms) terete (round), to 80+ cm, with rhizomes; roots fibrous; leaves terete, hollow, with cross-partitions, auricles present; inflorescence of 1 to 10+ spherical heads, single heads or on branches, 30 to 100 flowers, a single long bract shorter than inflorescence; flowers of 6 tepals up to 3.8 mm, linear lanceolate, subulate tip, 3 stamens; fruit a capsule up to 2.7 mm, somewhat ovoid with acute tip; seeds up to 0.4+ mm, tapered toward both ends, not tailed, a clear yellow-brown; in damp or wet areas; summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2015] Leaf – with cross partitions, somewhat C-shaped distally Whiteroot Rush – p2 Juncus brachycarpus Engelm. [V Max Brown, 2015] Inflorescence of 1 to 10+ heads, single or on branches, up to about 1 cm in diameter with 30 to 100 flowers, basal bract shorter than inflorescence Tepals – up to 3.8 mm (here about 3.0 mm), lanceolate and subulate Fruit Capsule – about 0.5x to 0.66X length of tepals, here about 2 mm tall, somewhat ovoid with pointed tip Fruit capsule – here split Seeds – range from 0.3 open, seeds inside 0.4+ mm, no tails Weak Rush – p1 USDA Juncus debilis A. Gray Juncaceae (Rush Family) Near Heber Springs, Cleburne county, Arkansas Notes: perennial; stems (culms) terete (round), mostly erect and smooth, cepitose, to 45+ cm (sample below is about 60 cm), with fine rhizomes; roots fibrous; leaves round, hollow, with cross-partitions, auricles present; inflorescence of panicles with 3 to 50 heads (heads hemispherical), each head with 3 to 15 flowers flowers of 6 tepals, linear lanceolate, accumulate tip; fruit a capsule (see photos and descriptions on p2 for more details); muddy or marshy shores, along streams, ponds, and wet areas; summer (ID somewhat tentative although it keys well except for height) [V Max Brown, 2015] Weak Rush – p2 Juncus debilis A. Gray [V Max Brown, 2015] Inflorescence – terminal panicles with mostly ascending (some spreading) branches, 3 to 50 heads, heads with 3 to 10+ but less than 15 flowers, some heads here with asexual plantlets Flower here about 3.5 mm (varies to 4+ mm), tepals about 2.8 mm), lanceolate, apex acute, capsule longer than tepals (capsule only about a third or less longer than tepals), capsule somewhat elongate pyramidal Petals slightly shorter than sepals Seeds to 4-5 mm, no tails, yellowish brown Slimpod Rush p1 USDA Juncus diffusissimus Buckley Juncaceae (Rush Family) Near Heber Springs, Cleburne County, Arkansas Notes: perennial; stems (culms) to 60 cm, caespitose; roots fibrous, without rhizomes; leaves basal, terete and hollow, with cross partitions, auricles up to 2 mm and usually pointed; inflorescence a spreading panicle, with small basal bracts; spikelets open with 3 to 10+ florets; florets linear, trigonal, up to 7+ mm long, perianth about half as long (see photos on p2 for details); in wet areas; late spring to early fall [V Max Brown, 2014] Slimpod Rush p2 Juncus diffusissimus Buckley [V Max Brown, 2014] 5 mm in this sample Each fruit with 6 tepals (lanceolate and accumulate); basal inflorescence bracts present (sharp pointed and somewhat awned), fruit linear and trigonal (angled) in cx Seeds (< 0.5 mm) Common Rush – p1 USDA Juncus effusus L. Juncaceae (Rush Family) Near Heber's Springs, Cleburne County, Arkansas Notes: perennial; stems (culms) terete (round), smooth to 130+ cm, with rhizomes; roots fibrous; leaves absent but sheaths present; inflorescence of panicles that seem to erupt from the side of the stem (a leaf-bract continues vertically); flowers of 6 tepals, usually with a green rib early turning brown, body of tepals brown; capsule 3-locular and about as long as tepals (see photos on p2 for details); moist to wet areas of many habitats; summer to fall (several varieties have been suggested – additional work is needed) [V Max Brown, 2015] No leaf blade on sheath Culm with 30 to 60 fine longitudinal ribs Common Rush – p2 Inflorescence of branched panicles, Juncus effusus L. seems to push out laterally with a [V Max Brown, 2015] long leaf-like bract continuing for many cm vertically Capsule Tepals lanceolate, here about 2.5 mm (may vary from 2 to 3.5 mm), green rib early turning dark brown (body of tepals brown), acute tip, about as long as capsule; capsule greenish to dark brown, 3-locular, seeds light yellow (about 0.3-0.4 mm) seeds Grass-Leaf Rush – p1 USDA Juncus marginatus Rostk. Juncaceae (Rush Family) Near Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri Notes: perennial; stems (culms) somewhat flattened or compressed, to 130+ cm, with or without major rhizomes; roots fibrous; leaves flat, basal and cauline, auricles present; inflorescence of 1 to 200+ glomerules (spherical heads) of 2 to 20 flowers, major bract shorter than inflorescence; flowers of 6 tepals, shape varies, 3 stamens; fruit a capsule up to 3 mm, obovoid to somewhat globular; seeds up to 0.7 mm, tapered toward both ends, not tailed; a common species; usually in wet areas; late spring to fall (includes J. biflorus and others) [V Max Brown, 2015] Rhizomes Flat leaves Grass-Leaf Rush – p1 Juncus marginatus Rostk. [V Max Brown, 2015] Fruit capsule Tepals 2 to 200 Glomerules (clusters) of 2 (rarely 1) to 10+ flowers per cluster, flowers to 3+ mm (here about 3 mm tall); 6 tepals, usually brownish with greenish midribs early, shape of tepals varies, inner 3 usually slightly longer; 3 stamens; fruit capsules brown, 3 locular, obovoid usually Fruit capsule Tepals Seeds 0.4 to 0.7 mm long, tapering to a point at both ends with dark spots, no tails, color a yellow-brown Lopsided Rush – p1 USDA Juncus secundus P. Beauv. ex Poir. Juncaceae (Rush Family) Near Nixa, Christian County, Missouri Notes: perennial; stems (culms) to 70+ cm, often fairly densely caespitose, without major rhizomes; roots fibrous; leaves mostly basal, tends to me curled, no cross-partitions, up to 30 cm long, ligule small; inflorescence a panicle of sessile or nearly so flowers; flowers usually on one side of the branches; 6 tepals, lanceolate and acuminate; fruit a capsule up to 4+ mm, ellipsoidal; seeds up to 0.5+ mm, tapered toward both ends, not tailed; in dry woods, pastures, and open grounds and disturbed areas; spring to early summer [V Max Brown, 2015] leaves Lopsided Rush – p2 Juncus secundus P. Beauv. ex Poir. [V Max Brown, 2015] Inflorescence a panicle, flowers tend to be on the inside of 6 Tepals about equal in the branch or axis length Seeds vary from 0.3 to 0.7 mm in length, they taper at both ends which are either transparent or darkened bracteole Fruit (capsule) about 4 mm, may vary from >3 to 4.5+ mm Path [Poverty] Rush p1 USDA Juncus tenuis Willd. Juncaceae (Rush Family) Wire Road Conservation Area, Stone County, Missouri Notes: perennial; stems (culms) to 60+ cm, wiry, caespitose; roots fibrous, without rhizomes; leaves mostly basal, flat, blades to 30 cm; auricles white and up to 3+ mm; inflorescence of panicles, longest bract subtending inflorescence much longer than inflorescence; spikelets in clusters of 1 or 2 to 6 florets; perianth to 5+ mm, lanceolate, attenuate tips; fruit to 4+ mm, a little shorter than perianth – see photos on p2; common rush found in many habitats; late spring to early fall [V Max Brown, 2014] Path [Poverty] Rush p2 Juncus tenuis Willd. [V Max Brown, 2014] fruit with seeds perianth scales seeds – dark points on ends, with tails Torrey's Rush – p1 USDA Juncus torreyi Coville Juncaceae (Rush Family) Near Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri Notes: perennial; stems (culms) terete (round), to 100+ cm, with major rhizomes; roots fibrous; leaves round, hollow, with cross-partitions, up to 30 cm long, auricles present; inflorescence of 1 to 20+ spherical heads, single or more often branched, single long bract; flowers of 6 tepals, linear lanceolate, accumulate tip, 6 stamens; fruit a capsule up to 5.5+ mm, ellipsoidal with acute tip; seeds up to 0.5+ mm, tapered toward both ends, not tailed; a common and wide spread species; usually in wet areas, prairies, sloughs, edges of streams and ponds, occasionally in shallow water; summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2015] Round leaves with cross partitions Rhizomes Torrey's Rush – p2 Juncus torreyi Coville [V Max Brown, 2015] 4 flowers pulled from an inflorescence