Juncus acutus

Synonyms

Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii (Parl.) Snog. -- Leopold's Rush

Juncus acutus L. var. sphaerocarpus Engelm.

Juncus acutus L. subsp. acutus

Juncus spinosus Forssk.

Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii also known as Leopold's rush is a native of Arizona, California, Georgia and Nevada.

Juncus acutus L. var. conglobatus Trautv.

Juncus acutus L. var. decompositus Guss.

Juncus acutus L. var. longibracteatus Buchenau

Description

Juncus acutus is a brown and green "tussocky" perennial that can be to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) tall in all kinds of soils, in areas which go from extremes in flood and dry like dunes or that just stay wet like lowland grassland and grassy woodland, riparian vegetation, freshwater wetland, and saline and subsaline wetlands.

Stems and leaves

Pith filled stems and leaves arise from the base at different angles giving the plant a globe shape. The leaves form a basal sheath around the flower stem leaves and end with a stiff sharp point.

Flowers

The flower stems are 2 millimetres (0.079 in) to 4 millimetres (0.16 in) in diameter and 4 centimetres (1.6 in) to 13 centimetres (5.1 in) long and are similar to the leaves. They emerge from the base at all angles and each have 1 - 6 flowers. Each flower has 6 stamens and 4 centimetres (1.6 in) to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long bracts that terminate in a stiff and sharp point. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by the wind.

Fruits and reproduction

Fruits are oval 3-celled brown capsules 4 millimetres (0.16 in) to 6 millimetres (0.24 in). The 1.2 millimetres (0.047 in) to 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long brown seeds have a tail at each end.

Roots

Short and robust rhizomes.

Distribution

Found principally in low-lying damp, low fertility areas like sandy sea shores and dune slacks and coastal flats, occasionally in salt marshes and disturbed saline areas, mine dumps, lowland grassland and grassy woodland, riparian vegetation, freshwater wetland, and saline and subsaline wetlands

Palearctic:Northern Africa: Algeria, Egypt, MoroccoWestern Asia: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, TurkeyCaucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, GeorgiaNorthern Europe: British IslesSoutheastern Europe: Albania, Crete, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, Sardinia, Serbia, Sicily, MaltaSouthwestern Europe: Azores, Balearic Islands, Corsica, France, Portugal, SpainNearctic:Northern America: Baja California

Community species

In Brazil, J. acutus has been observed on the Santa Catarina coast living in communities with:

Ipomoea pes-caprae

Hydrocotyle bonariensis

Senecio crassiflorus

In a natural shallow depression in the Murray River floodplain in South Australia:

Muehlenbeckia florulenta

Atriplex semibaccata

Halosarcia pergranulata ssp. pergranulata

Mimulus repens

Ludwigia peploides ssp. montevidensis

Phragmites australis

Paspalum vaginatum

Chemistry

The dimeric phenanthrenoid 8,8'-bidehydrojuncusol and the monomeric juncusol and dehydrojuncusol can be isolated from J. acutus.