The Book of Grasses 



^ 



stigmas are also white. The flowers are widely open in the early 

 hours of the morning but close during the heat of the day. 



The Toad Rush (Juncus bufonius) is an 



odd little plant, rarely eight inches tall, which 



often spreads in tangled mats over low ground 



by the waysides and on the borders of dried-up 



pools. The flowers are larger than in our 



other common rushes, and are dark 



green; the stems branch abundantly 



at the base and bear one or two 



short, narrow leaves. Like 



the preceding species the Toad 



Rush is found throughout 



/nearly the whole of North 

 America. 



Black-grass (Juncus Gerardi), 

 easily recognized by its char- 

 acteristic dark-green colour, 

 blooms in midsummer and is 

 common along the Atlantic coast 

 and by tidal waters of rivers from 

 Canada to Florida. The plant is 

 grass-like, and with dark leaves 

 and blackish flowers covers large 

 areas on the salt marshes, where 

 it is often associated with Fox- 

 grass {Spariina patens). The 

 slender wiry stems of Black-grass 

 rise from creeping rootstocks and 

 are usually from one to two feet 

 in height; the perianth divisions 

 are rounded and are shorter than 

 the dark seed-capsule. This rush 

 is the most highly valued of the 

 common species, as it yields a 

 large part of the salt hay that is 

 taken each year from our coast- 

 wise marshes. 



Other rushes will occasionally 

 be found by the student and may 

 332 



Toad Rush 

 Juncus bujonius 



