''Juncus leiospermus'' is an uncommon species of

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 ...

known by the common name Red Bluff dwarf rush. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, where it is known only from the Central Valley and adjacent

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

foothills to the east.

Description

''Juncus leiospermus'' is a plant of

vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...

s and other wet seasonal depressions in the local habitat. It is a small annual herb forming dense clumps of hairlike reddish brown stems no more than tall. The stems are surrounded by a few thready leaves. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

is a single cluster of several reddish flowers atop the small stems.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Juncus leiospermus''''Juncus leiospermus'' - Photo gallery
leiospermus Endemic flora of California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Plants described in 1948 {{Poales-stub