''Juncus bufonius'', known commonly as toad rush, is a widespread
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
species complex
In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...
in the rush family
Juncaceae
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 s ...
.
[GRIN-Global Web v 1.9.4.2: Taxonomy of '' Juncus bufonius'']
/ref>[Jepson: ''Juncus bufonius'']
/ref>
Distribution
Its native range is circumpolar throughout tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
, subtropical, subarctic, and temperate climate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
areas of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.[Efloras.org: ''Juncus bufonius'' in Flora of Pakistan]
/ref>
It is also widely distributed as an introduced species in suitable habitats worldwide. It grows in moist and muddy places, often in wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
s and riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...
areas.[ Calflora: ''Juncus bufonius'']
/ref>
In habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s where it is not native and has naturalized
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...
it may be considered a weed. The relationship of North America plants to the Eurasian ''Juncus ranarius'' is weakly delineated.[
]
Description
''Juncus bufonius'' is an annual monocot
Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute on ...
that is quite variable in appearance. It is generally a green clumping grasslike rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
, with many thin stems wrapped with few threadlike leaves.[
The flowers are borne in inflorescences and also in the joint where the inflorescence branches off of the stem. It is a grassy flower folded within tough bracts and sepals.][ The blooming period is March through May.][
]
Varieties
Varieties include:[
*''Juncus bufonius'' var. ''bufonius'' — North America.
*''Juncus bufonius'' var. ''congestus'' — North America.
*''Juncus bufonius'' var. ''occidentalis'' — North America.Calflora: ''Juncus bufonius'' var. ''occidentalis'']
/ref>
*''Juncus bufonius'' var. ''rechingeri'' — South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
.[
]
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Juncus bufonius'' (Toad rush)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Juncus bufonius''
*
bufonius
Flora of Africa
Flora of Asia
Flora of Europe
Flora of North America
Flora of South America
Flora of the subantarctic islands
Freshwater plants
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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