144. JUNCACE.E. [1. Juncus. 



SEBIES.—LILIIFLORJE. 

 FAM. \m. JUNCACEiE. 



Erect, usually perennial herbs with stems usually tufted on a 

 creeping rootstock {in one of our species annual). Leaves fiat or 

 terete or reduced to sheaths. Flowers green, or whitish and mem- 

 branous, or brown and searious or coriaceous, bracteate in axillary 

 or terminal cymes, 2-sexual. Perianth inferior, tepals in two whorls, 

 persistent, imbricate. Stamens 6, rarely 3, hypogynous or partly 

 adnate to the tepals, anthers basifixed. Ovary 1-3-celled, style 

 filiform or short or 0, stigmas 3 filiform. Ovules many axile in the 

 3-celled, 3 only and basilar in the 1 -celled ovary, anatropous. Capsule 

 1-3-celled, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds erect, testa membranous, 

 often produced at each end ; albumen dense, embryo small, next 

 the hilum. 



1. JUNCUS, L. Rush. 



Glabrous. Leaves sometimes septate within. Perianth with the 

 outer segments keeled or the midrib thickened. Stamens 6, rarely 

 3. Ovary 3-, rarely 1-celled, ovules many. 



Annual. Stems copiously dichotomously branched. L. not 



septate . . . . . . . . .1. bufonius. 



Perennial, strict, caespitose. L. distantly septate . . . 2. prismatocarpus. 



1. J. bufonius, L. Toad-rush. 



A densely tufted much dichotomously and sometimes 3-chotomously 

 branched very slender herb 1-10" high. Leaves few, chiefly near 

 the base of the stems, grass-like, very narrow concave above, 1-4" 

 long. Flowers pale green solitary, in the forks of the cymes and 

 unilateral in helicoid often fiexuous cymes. Bracts searious less than 

 half length of perianth, outer tepals -2" long, lanceolate acuminate 

 with membranous margins, inner about fths as long, similar. Capsule 

 oblong or slightly obovoid • 12", at first closely embraced by the 

 perianth, when quite ripe loculicidal and septifragal and the axis 

 again splitting into three. Seeds very numerous oblong -02" long, 

 yellow, sometimes mth black tip and finely reticulate. 



In the Upper Gangetic plain ! and extending eastwards to Beauleah, Clarke ! 

 Fl., Fr. c.s. This little rush is common in Europe. No specimens appear to have 

 been collected actually inside our area, but from its distribution it is sm*e to occur 

 in the northern area. 



2. J. prismatocarpus, Br. 



A variable csespitose erect (or in one variety prostrate) rush 10-24" 

 high. Stems terete or compressed, not septate. Leaves soft terete 

 or compressed tubular or with several tubes, distantly septate. Cymes 

 terminal erect with erect or spreading branches bearing the flowers 

 densely clustered in hemispherical heads. Fls. green or brown, outer 

 tepals searious • 12-- 17" long, subulate or linear-lanceolate. Stamens 

 3 much shorter. Style very short. Capsule prismatic or conical, 

 usually much exserted from the perianth. 



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