Biology:Juncus inflexus

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Short description: Species of rush

Juncus inflexus
Juncus glaucus Sturm6.jpg
Botanical illustration
Juncus inflexus (Grau-Simse) IMG 26459.JPG
Inflorescences
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Juncaceae
Genus: Juncus
Species:
J. inflexus
Binomial name
Juncus inflexus
Synonyms[2]

Juncus inflexus, the hard rush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Juncaceae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa, and introduced in Sri Lanka, Java, Île Amsterdam and Île Saint-Paul, Victoria in Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and eastern North America.[2][3] It is a glycophyte (non-halophyte).[4]

Description

J. inflexus is a rhizomatous tufted perennial usually growing 0.5 – 1m tall. The stiff, glaucous stems are thin and wiry, measuring 1 – 2.5 mm in diameter. They are lined with 15 – 20 distinct vertical ridges and filled with interrupted spongy pith. Stomata are arranged along the stem in 5 – 10 rows.[5]

The basal sheaths are a shiny reddish black.[5]

It blooms from late spring until midsummer, producing loose clusters of very small reddish-brown flowers at the top of some stems. These later ripen into brown short-beaked seed capsules.

Habitat and ecology

Generally common in England and Wales, but rarer in Scotland. It grows in open wet places such as springs, marshes, wet pastures, and damp meadows as well as by rivers, ponds, and lakes. It prefers heavy base-rich or neutral soils consolidated by trampling.[6]

Appears to be tolerant of annual mowing and light to moderate grazing. It is unpalatable to cattle and eaten by rabbits probably only when grazing pressure is high.[6]

Subtaxa

The following subspecies are currently accepted:[2]

  • Juncus inflexus subsp. brachytepalus (Trautv. ex V.I.Krecz. & Gontsch.) Novikov
  • Juncus inflexus subsp. inflexus

Distinguished as follows:-[7]

ssp. inflexus ssp. brachytepalus
Stem diameter (lower) 1.5-3 mm 5-10 mm
Capsule 2.5-3.3 mm to 4 mm
compared to perianth c. equal usually exceeds
Inflorescence diffuse dense
Cataphylls dark light-medium

References

  1. Sp. Pl.: 326 (1753)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Juncus inflexus L.". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:443065-1. 
  3. "Juncus inflexus hard rush". The Royal Horticultural Society. https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/9520/i-Juncus-inflexus-i/Details. 
  4. Vaněk, Tomáš; Moťková, Kateřina; Podlipná, Radka (2016). "Accumulation of cadmium by halophytic and non-halophytic Juncus species". Theoretical and Experimental Plant Physiology 28 (4): 415–423. doi:10.1007/s40626-016-0078-2. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Poland J, Clement EJ. 2020. The Vegetative Key to the British Flora. John Poland, Southampton. ISBN:9780956014429
  6. 6.0 6.1 Richards PW, Clapham AR. 1941. Juncus inflexus L. (Juncus Glaucus Ehrh.). Journal of Ecology 29(2): 369-374.
  7. Species Plantarum / Flora of the World / Part 8. Juncaceae 3: Juncus subg. Agathryon / compiled by Jan Kirschner

Wikidata ☰ Q161332 entry