JUNCACEAE 259 



thau the sepals : stamens as long as the perianth or longer ; anthers much shorter than the 

 filaments : capsules obovoid, about 2-2.5 mm. long, truncate or depressed at the a^jex. 



In moist soil or meadows, New York to Michigan, Florida, Texas and Mexico. Spring and summer. 

 — A variety, J. aristulatus pinetorum Coville, has stems arising at intervals from thick woody tuber- 

 bearing rootstocks and persistent leaves with short blades ; it occurs in sandy pine woods from 

 North Carolina to Florida. 



21. Juncus abortivus Chapm. Plants 3-6 dm. high, deep green. Stems slender, ris- 

 ing at intervals from Suout elongated horizontal rootstocks : leaves few ; blades terete, 

 much shorter than the stems, the pith perforated with slender tubes, slightly nodose : 

 panicle rather diffuse, the branches liliform : flowers scattered singly on the branches of 

 the panicle : perianth 1.5-2 mm. long : sepals firm, lanceolate, acute : petals firm, lanceo- 

 late, rather broader at the base than the sepals, blunt : capsule subulate, slightly surpass- 

 ing the perianth. [./. pelocarpus var. crassicaudex Engelm.] 



On grassy pond-margins, Florida. Summer and fall. 



22. Juncus Torreyi Coville. Plants 2-10 dm. high, not tufted. Rootstook slen- 

 der, about 2 ram. thick, tuberiform-thickened at intervals of a few centimeters, each 

 tuber supporting a single stem : stems terete or slightly compressed, stout : leaf-blades 

 terete, 1-2.5 mm. thick, abruptly divergent from the stem : inflorescence usually con- 

 gested, only a few cm. in length and consisting of from 1 to 6 heads, or occasionally 10 cm. 

 long and bearing 15-20 heads, exceeded by the iuvolucral bract : heads 10-15 mm. in di- 

 ameter : perianth 4-5 mm. long : sepals and petals subulate, the sepals longer than the 

 petals : stamens about j as long as the perianth : capsule subulate, l-celled, its beak 

 1-1.5 mm. long, barely exceeding the perianth and holding the valves together through- 

 out dehiscence : seeds 0.4-0.5 mm. long, oblong, acute at both ends, reticulated in about 

 20 longitudinal rows, the areolae transversely plurilineolate. 



In low grounds, New York to the Pacific and Gulf coasts. Summer and fall. 



23. Juncus Texanus (Engelm. ) Coville. Plants 2-6 dm. high. Rootstock slender, 

 about 1 mm. thick, tuberiform-thickened at intervals of a few centimeters : stems single, 

 one for each tuber, terete, slender : leaf-blades slender, divergent, seldom over 1 mm. 

 thick : inflorescence 10 cm. high or less, consisting of 2-15 heads, about equalled by its 

 lowest bract : beads 10-40-fiowered, 12-15 mm. thick : perianth 3.5-4.5 mm. long : 

 sepals and petals subulate, the sepals shorter than the petals : stamens J-j as long as the 

 perianth : capsules subulate, l-celled, valves united above in dehiscence, the beak 1.5-2 

 mm. long : seeds broadly oblong or obovoid, acute at both ends, reticulated in about 20 

 longitudinal rows, the areolae transversely plurilineolate. 



In low grounds, southern and eastern Texas. Spring to fall. 



24. Juncus megacephalus M. A. Curtis. Plants 3-10 dm. high. Stems tufted, 

 from branching rootstocks, stout, 2-3-leaved : leaves with anricled sheaths ; blades of 

 the basal leaves 2 dm. long or less, those of the stem successively shorter, the uppermost 

 rarely 2 cm. iu length : inflorescence 2.5 cm. high or less, its lowest bract almost blade- 

 less, the other scarious : panicle of 1-40 heads : heads spherical, 8-12 mm. in diameter : 

 perianth 3-3.5 mm. long : sepals and petals subulate, the sepals longer than the petals : 

 stamens 3, j-f the length of the petals ; anthers included, shorter that the filaments : 

 capsule subulate, beaked, equalling the perianth, 3-sided, l-celled : seeds oblong, 0.4-0.5 

 mm. long, acute at either end, reticulated in 12-14 rows, the areolae smooth. 



In sandy soil, North Carolina to Florida. Spring to fall. 



25. Juncus scirpoides Lam. Plants 2-7 dm. high. Stems terete, clustered on shoi t 

 horizontal rootstocks, these 2-3 mm. thick, and with a yearly growth of 1-2 cm. : stem- 

 leaves 1-3 ; blades terete, 2 mm. thick or less, usually less than 10 cm. long, the septa 

 perfect ; basal leaves similar, but with longer blades : inflorescence strict or slightly 

 spreading, reaching 15 cm. in length, or sometimes only 1 or 2 cm. long : heads 2-30, 

 either simple, globose, 8-11 mm. in diameter in fruit, or compound, lobed, and of slightly 

 greater diameter : perianth 2.5-3.5 mm. long : sepals and petals subulate, the petals some- 

 what the shorter : stamens equalling at least the petals ; anthers exserted between the 

 petals : capsules subulate, l-celled, the long beak exceeding the perianth and holding the 

 valves united above in dehiscence : seeds oblong, acute at both ends, 0.4-0.5 mm. in 

 length, reticulated in about 20 longitudinal rows, the areolae smooth and nearly isodia- 

 meti'ical. 



In sandy soil. New York to Florida, Louisiana and Texas. Summer and fall. 



26. Juncus polycephalus INIichx. Plants about 10 dm. high. Stem stout, com- 

 pressed, 2-4-leaved : leaves 50 cm. long or less, the upper shorter ; blades flattened, 3-8 

 mm. broad, the septa incomplete : inflorescence 8-30 cm, high, its bracts with nearly ob- 

 solete blades: beads globose, 7-10 mm. in diameter, 20-100-flowered : perianth 3-4 mm. 



