View source for Biology:Oreojuncus trifidus

{{Short description|Species of rush}}
{{speciesbox
|image = Juncus trifidus (Dreiblatt-Simse) IMG 2670.jpg
|genus = Oreojuncus
|species = trifidus
|authority = [[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|L.]] Záv.Drábk. & Kirschner
|synonyms = 
*''Juncus alpestris'' <small>Bubani</small>
*''Juncus trifidus'' <small>L.</small>
*''Juncus trifidus'' subsp. ''carolinianus'' <small>Hämet-Ahti</small>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name = "77135599-1" >{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77135599-1 |title=''Oreojuncus trifidus'' (L.) Záv.Drábk. & Kirschner |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2017 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=4 February 2021 }}</ref>
}}

'''''Oreojuncus trifidus''''' is a species of [[Biology:Juncaceae|rush]] known by the common names '''highland rush'''<ref>{{PLANTS|id=JUTR2|taxon=Juncus trifidus|accessdate=22 January 2016}}</ref> and '''three-leaved rush'''.<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17 }}</ref> It is native to the Northern Hemisphere, where it is an arctic/montane species with an amphi-atlantic distribution.<ref name="Hultén">{{cite book|first=Eric|last=Hultén|date=1958|title=The Amphi-Atlantic Plants and their Phytogeographical Connections|publisher=Almqvist and Wiksell|location=Stockholm, Sweden }}</ref>{{rp|46}}

==Description==
''Oreojuncus trifidus'' is a perennial herb with tufted stems up to 40 centimeters long, growing erect or drooping. There are a few grasslike leaf blades measuring up to 12 centimeters long. The [[Biology:Inflorescence|inflorescence]] holds one to four flowers with brown [[Biology:Tepal|tepal]]s and six [[Biology:Stamen|stamen]]s. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long.<ref name=caa/><ref name=fna>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=222000186 ''Juncus trifidus''.] Flora of North America.</ref> The plant [[Biology:Sexual reproduction|reproduces sexually]] with its flowering structures and [[Biology:Vegetative reproduction|vegetatively]] via its [[Biology:Rhizome|rhizome]], when it may form colonies.<ref name=sch/>

==Habitat==
This species grows in a number of habitat types, especially in [[Earth:Alpine tundra|alpine]] environments. It can be found in talus, on cliffs and ledges, [[Earth:Fellfield|fellfield]]s, [[Earth:Tundra|tundra]], and meadows. It grows in a wide variety of [[Earth:Heath|heath]] ecosystems. The soils may be dry to moist, calcareous, and acidic.<ref name=sch>Schori, M. [http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wildlife/tes/ca-overview/docs/Plants/Highland%20Rush.pdf Conservation Assessment for Highland Rush (''Juncus trifidus'') L.] USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region. May 6, 2004.</ref> They may be gravelly, sandy, and rich in iron. The plant is known as a [[Earth:Pioneer species|pioneer]] on ski slopes and roadsides.<ref name=caa/> It may grow alongside many types of mosses and lichens.<ref name=sch/>

==Distribution==
''Oreojuncus trifidus'' is an amphi-atlantic plant,<ref name="Hultén"/> native to northern and eastern Canada, including the [[Place:Canadian Arctic Archipelago|Canadian Arctic Archipelago]] and other low Arctic regions, the northeastern United States, [[Place:Greenland|Greenland]], Iceland, [[Place:Scandinavia|Scandinavia]], northern Britain, and northern Asia.<ref name=caa>Aiken, S.G., et al. 2007. [http://nature.ca/aaflora/data/www/jujutr.htm Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval.] NRC Research Press, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa.</ref> It also occurs in the high mountains of southern Europe.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
While not rare in general, the plant faces threats in some locations. Some populations in the Adirondacks are harmed by trampling by hikers.<ref name=ny>[http://www.acris.nynhp.org/guide.php?id=9637&part=1 ''Juncus trifidus''.] New York Natural Heritage Program.</ref> Rush habitat on Camel's Hump and Mount Marcy also suffers from trampling disturbance.<ref name=sch/> Rush-dominated heath in the Cairngorms is also potentially threatened by trampling.<ref name=pry>Pryor, P. J. 1985. [http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19851824735.html;jsessionid=1512D171138C324E7A5A3F953FCCD888?gitCommit=4.13.29 The effects of disturbance on open ''Juncus trifidus'' health in the Cairngorm mountains, Scotland. In: The ecological impacts of outdoor recreation on mountain areas in Europe and North America.] RERG Report, Recreation Ecology Research Group, UK. No. 9 53-62.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q50347044|from2=Q159896}}

[[Category:Juncaceae]]

{{Sourceattribution|Oreojuncus trifidus}}