| Juncus acutiflorus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Juncaceae |
| Genus: | Juncus |
| Species: | J. acutiflorus |
| Binomial name | |
| Juncus acutiflorus | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Juncus acutiflorus, also called sharp-flowered rush, is a rush or a grassy flowering plant in the family Juncaceae. As the name suggests, the plant has notable sharp-looking flowers, flowering between July and September. [2]
The plant has leaves shaped round or elliptical in cross-section, with darker horizontal lines visible against the light at intervals, like in the jointed rush. During pollination, new branches emerge from the old ones and multiply to resemble a small bush. The flowers have various shades of warm brown and maroon. Fruits look like a small pointed capsule. [3] It grows straight and measures about 3 feet tall. The leaves are straight, smooth and circular in section, hollow, with transverse septa making the leaf feel jointed while touching and holding.
The plant commonly grows on acid soils in swampy wetlands and wet heathland and woodlands. [3] The species is widespread in the areas of and nearby northern Ireland. This plant is sensitive to nitrate levels in the environment. In a Dutch rich-fen, chlorosis has been noted in stands of Juncus acutiflorus at locations where groundwater containing high levels of nitrate reached the surface. Experiments revealed that the chlorosis could be attributed to iron deficiency although iron levels in the shoots were well above the known physiological threshold values for iron deficiency. Nowadays, nitrate concentrations in ground water as high 1000 μM are no longer an exception in the Netherlands. [4]
The species resembles Juncus articulatus (the jointed rush) known by the common names 'jointed rush' and 'jointleaf rush'. It is native to Eurasia and much of Canada and the United States. It grows in moist areas, such as wet sand, and thrives in calcareous soils. This is a perennial herb producing a mainly erect stem from a short rhizome. The stem may root at nodes, and it generally has one or more cylindrical leaves up to 10 centimeters long. It resembles this species as the leaves appear same, but the tepals are completely different. They are almost blackish-brown, and the main branches are often almost horizontal in the jointed rush.
Two hybrids or subspecies of sharp-flowered rush are known – Juncus acutiflorus subsp. acutiflorus (also called Juncus acutiflorus t.infr. effusus and Juncus acutiflorus var. exoletus) and Juncus acutiflorus ssp. rugosus. [1] They are formed by the hybridization of sharp-flowered rush and the smaller-sized jointed rush.
Juncaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the rush family. It consists of 8 genera and about 464 known species of slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous monocotyledonous plants that may superficially resemble grasses and sedges. They often grow on infertile soils in a wide range of moisture conditions. The best-known and largest genus is Juncus. Most of the Juncus species grow exclusively in wetland habitats. A few rushes, such as Juncus bufonius are annuals, but most are perennials.
Juncus effusus is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant species in the rush family Juncaceae, with the common names common rush or soft rush. In North America, the common name soft rush also refers to Juncus interior.
Juncus tenuis, the slender rush, is a clump-forming, round-stemmed perennial in the Juncaceae. Slender rush grows to be between 15 and 60 cm tall. Generally considered a weed, it is rarely sold by retailers as a household container plant. Where it is introduced, it is colloquially called path rush, field rush, slender yard rush, poverty rush or wiregrass.
Juncus bufonius, known commonly as toad rush, is a widespread flowering plant species complex in the rush family Juncaceae.
Juncus acutus, the spiny rush, sharp rush or sharp-pointed rush, is a flowering plant in the monocot family Juncaceae. It is native to the Americas, Northern and Southern Africa, Western and Southern Europe and West Asia, and is found in a variety of wet habitats, such as bogs, fens, meadows, and salt marshes, and along the edges of ponds and lakes.
Juncus articulatus is a flowering plant species in the rush family Juncaceae. It is known by the common name jointleaf rush or jointed rush, which can also refer to J. kraussii from Australia. It is native to Eurasia, Canada, Greenland and much of the United States. It grows in moist areas, such as wet sand, and thrives in calcareous soils. J. articulatus was found to be more sensitive to drought and salt stress than its congeners J. acutus and J. maritimus. It is a perennial herb producing mainly erect stems from a short rhizome. The stem may root at nodes, and it generally has one or more flattened hollow cylindrical leaves up to 10 centimeters long. Transverse internal partitions or joints may be seen or felt in the leaf of the plant.
Luzula sylvatica, commonly known as greater wood-rush or great wood-rush, is a perennial flowering plant in the rush family Juncaceae.
Juncus kraussii commonly known as salt marsh rush, sea rush, jointed rush, matting rush or dune slack rush, is of the monocot family Juncaceae and genus Juncus. It grows in salt marshes, estuarine and coastal areas.
Coleophora taeniipennella is a moth of the family Coleophoridae. It is found in most of Europe.
Juncus phaeocephalus, the brown-headed rush, is native mostly along the coast of California, north to Oregon and Washington. It grows in moist seeps and shallow wet soil.
Juncus planifolius is a species of rush, commonly known as broadleaf rush, broad-leaved rush, or grass-leaved rush. It naturally occurs in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and South America.
NVC community M23 is one of the mire communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Juncus dichotomus is a monocot in the Juncaceae family of rushes. The plant is native to the Americas in temperate zones but has been introduced to other parts of the world. Juncus dichotomus often is found in very moist areas and where rainfall is a common occurrence. It is often most recognizable in the spring and summer months due to its conspicuous flowers and infructescence.
Hypericum undulatum, the wavy St Johns Wort, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant native to western Europe and northern Africa. The specific name undulatum is Latin, meaning "wavy" or "undulated", referring, just as the common name, to the wavy leaf margins of the herb. The plant has a diploid number of 16 or 32.
Juncus antarcticus, also known as dwarf rush, is a flowering plant species in the rush family Juncaceae, native to New Zealand and Australia.
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. It is a glycophyte (non-halophyte).
Juncus biglumis, called the two-flowered rush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Juncaceae, native to the subarctic and subalpine Northern Hemisphere. It has three divergent genetic lineages that may represent cryptic species.
Juncus minutulus is a species of rush (Juncaceae) informally referred to as minute rush, dwarf toad rush and annual rush.
Juncus heldreichianus is a large tufted species of rush in the family Juncaceae, formed of two subspecies.
Juncus fontanesii, also known as Desfontaines' rush, is a species of rush in the family Juncaceae.
Media related to Juncus acutiflorus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Juncus acutiflorus at Wikispecies