RUSH FAMILY 51 



1. JUNCUS (Tourn.) L. Rush, Wire-grass. 



Lower bracts of the inflorescence terete, erect, appearing like a continuation of the 

 stem; inflorescence therefore apparently lateral; stamens 6. 

 Flowers several in a more or less compound panicle; seeds apiculate or acute; peren- 

 nials with long rootstocks. I. Effusi. 

 Flowers l-o, of which one is subsessile and the others peduncled; seeds caudate, i. e., 

 with white tails at each end; densely cespitose perennials. II. Subtriflori. 

 Lower bracts not appearing as a continuation of the stem, or if so, channeled on the 

 upper side; inflorescence terminal. 

 Leaves neither septate nor equitant. 

 Leaves not flstulose. 

 Flowers many. 



Flowers bracteolate, inserted singly on the branches of the inflorescence; 

 leaves narrowly Linear, either flat or subterete and channeled; 

 stamens 6. 

 Perennials, with short cespitose rootstocks; stems simple. 



III. Texues. 

 Annuals; stem branching; seed apiculate. IV. Bufonii. 



Flowers not bracteolate, in true heads on the branches of the inflorescence: 

 leaves flat, often grass-Uke; perennials with stoloniferous rootstocks. 



VI. Graminifolii. 

 Flowers solitary on the scape; plant 2-3 cm. high. VII. Unciales. 



Leaves flstulose (i. e., hollow); flowers few in small heads; lower sheath bladeless; 

 seeds caudate; stamens 6. V. Castanei. 



liCaves septate. 



Leaves terete, not eqiutant. 



Septa poorly developed; heads 1-3. V. Castanei. 



Septa well developed; heads usually several (in J. Mertensianits usually only 



one). VIII. NODOSI." 



Leaves equitant, laterally flattened so that one edge is towards the stem; seeds 



apiculate; perennials with creeping rootstocks. IX. Ensifolii. 



I. Effusi. 

 Stem light green, striate when dry on account of the free hypodermal flbro-vascular 



bundles; sepals and petals green. 1. J. filiformis. 



Stem dark green or at the base purplish, not striate; sepals and petals brown. 



Stem terete; sheath naked or merely bristle-pomted ; sepals and petals dark purplish 

 brown. 

 Inflorescence congested; branches 1-3 cm. long; petals and sepals acute or short- 

 acuminate, almost equal in length. 2. J. ater. 

 Inflorescence open; branches 4-7 cm. long; sepals long-acuminate, much exceed- 

 ing the acute petals. 3. J. valUcola. 

 Stem flattened; uppermost sheath often leaf-bearing; sepals and petals not very dark 

 brown. 4. J. mexicanus. 

 II. Subtriflori. 

 Upper sheaths merely bristle-pointed ; petals and sepals with green backs and dark brown 



margins. 5. J. Drummondii. 



Upper sheaths leaf-bearing; green backs of the petals and sepals less prominent. 

 Sepals and petals linear-lanceolate, light brown; capsule acute. 6. J. Parry i. 

 Sepals and petals broadly lanceolate, very dark brown; capsule retuse. 



7. J. Hallii. 

 III. Tenues. 

 Seeds long-caudate; leaves terete with a shallow groove above. 8. J. Vaseyi. 

 Seeds apiculate, not caudate; leaves flat, but usually involute, lunate in section. 

 Auricles at the summit of the sheaths membranous, wliitish. 



Auricles scarcely produced beyond the insertion, scarcely scarious; petals and 

 sepals scarcely spreading. 

 Perianth 3-4 mm. long, equalling the capsule. 9. J. interior. 



Perianth 4.5-5 ram. long, exceeding the capsule. 10. J. arizonicus. 



Auricles conspicuously produced beyond the point of insertion. 



Capsule oblong, narrow, 3-celled, equalling the perianth or nearly so; sepals 

 and petals erect or appressed. 

 Stem stout; leaves short and broad (1.5-2 mm. wide) ; sepals and petals 4-5 

 mm. long, scarious at the base only, stramineous; flowers in an open 

 cyme. 11. J. brachyphyllus. 



Stem slender; leaves narrow and long; sepals and petals 3.5-4 mm. long, 

 scarious to the apex, fuscous; flowers few, congested. 



12. J. confusus. 

 Capsule ovate or oval, 1-celled, three-fourths as long as the petals or less; 

 petals and sepals spreading. 13. J. tenuis. 



Auricles cartilaginous, yellowish brown; inflorescence greenish; capsule ovate; petals 

 and sepals spreading. 14. J. Dudleyi. 



IV. Bufonii. 



Capsxile oblong to ovoid, trigonous, 3-4.5 mm. long, at maturity closely embraced by 

 the ascending petals. 15. <7. bufonius. 



Capsule subglobose or short-ovoid, 2-3 mm. long; petals and sepals at maturity loosely 

 spreading, ascending, or squarrose. 16. J. sphaerocarpus. 



V. Castanei. 



Stem leafy only at the base, but the uppermost leaf often with a long sheath; perianth 

 about 4 mm. long; leaves about 1 mm. in diameter; rootstock short, cespitose. 



