260 JUNCACEAE 



long : sepals and petals subulate : stamens 3, $-f as long as the perianth ; anthers shorter 

 than the filaments : capsule subulate, 1-celled, slightly exceeding the perianth, the valves 

 in dehiscence remaining united by the slender beak, abruptly divergent below, the mar- 

 gins finally involute : seeds narrowly oblong, acute at either end, with nearly straight 

 apiculations, 0.45-0.6 mm. long, reticulated in about 13 longitudinal rows, the areolae 

 smooth . 



In sandy soil, North Carolina to Florida and Texas. Summer. 



27. Juncus vdlidus Coville. Plants 4-10 dm. high. Stems stout, compressed, 1-3- 

 leaved : leaf-blades commonly 10-20 cm. long, merely compressed, 2-4 mm. wide, gradu- 

 ally acuminate above, the septa complete : inflorescence 8-35 cm. high, its branches stiff 

 and spreading, its bracts with nearly obsolete blades : heads globose, 12-15 mm. in diameter 

 in fruit : perianth 4-5 mm. long : sepals and petals subulate : stamens about as long as 

 the perianth ; anthers not exceeding the filaments : capsules subulate, often falcate, ex- 

 ceeding the perianth, 1-celled, the valves separating throughout in dehiscence, flat, their 

 apices spreading : seeds broadly oval, broadly acute at both ends, 0.4-0.55 mm. in length, 

 not more than twice as long as broad, reticulated in about 20 longitudinal rows, the are- 

 olae smooth. 



In sandy soil, Missouri to Mississippi and Texas. Summer and fall. 



28. Juncus brachycdrpus Engelm. Plants 2-9 dm. high, loosely tufted from hori- 

 zontal rootstocks, which have a yearly growth of 1-5 cm., a thickness of about 2.5 mm., and 

 bear 1-6 stems. Stems terete : stem-leaves 1-4 ; blades terete, 2 mm. thick or less, seldom 

 exceeding 15 cm. in length, or the upper much shorter : inflorescence 10 cm. in height, 

 and with 20 heads, or reduced to a single one : perianth 3-3.5 mm. long : sepals and petals 

 subulate, the petals about f as long as the sepals : stamens about J as long as the perianth : 

 capsules J-f as long as the perianth, oblong, acute, mucronate, 1-celled, dehiscent through 

 the mucro : seeds oblong, acute at both euds, 0.35-0.4 mm. long, reticulated in about 18 

 longitudinal rows, the areolae smooth, nearly isodiametrical. 



In sandy soil or low grounds, southern Ontario and the Mississippi Valley. Also from Maryland 

 to North Carolina. Summer. 



29. Juncus trigcnocdrpus Steud. Plants 6-12 dm. high, in tufts, from short con- 

 gested rootstocks. Stems stout, 2. 5-4 mm. or 5 mm. thick at the base, much narrower above, 

 terete or nearly so, 3-4-leaved : leaf-blades nearly as thick as the stem, commonly 15-40 cm. 

 long, or the upper shorter : inflorescence commonly 8-20 cm. high, the breadth about ^ the 

 height, ordinarily much branched and with the clusters 2-4-flowered, sometimes less- 

 branched and with the clusters 5-10-flowered : perianth 3-4 mm. long : sepals and petals 

 3-5-nerved, lanceolate, narrowly acute, the sepals shorter than the petals : stamens 3, 

 f-f the length of the perianth ; anthers shorter than the filaments : capsules lanceolate in 

 outline, tapering to a narrow acute apex, dark red, about twice as long as the perianth, 

 1-celled above, the placentae toward the base intruded to the center : seeds tailed at either 

 end. about 2 mm. long including the tails. [7. caudatus Chapm.] 



In low grounds and sandy bogs, South Carolina to Florida and Alabama. Summer and fall. 



30. Juncus Caiiaclensis J. Gay. Plants 3-12 dm. high, stout. Stems 2-4-leaved, 

 few in a tuft, from a branched rootstock : leaves various ; basal usually decayed at flower- 

 ing time ; stem-leaves with large loose auriculate sheaths commonly 5-10 cm. long, and 

 a stout erect blade usually 10-25 cm. long : panicle 7-25 cm. in height, the branches mod- 

 erately spreading : heads usually crowded, top-shaped to hemispheric or globose, 5-40- 

 flowered : perianth 3-4 mm. long : sepals and petals narrowly lanceolate, acute, the petals 

 longer than the sepals : stamens 3, -f as long as the perianth ; anthers much shorter than 

 the filaments : capsule lanceolate, acute, mucronate, 3-sided, 1-celled, reddish brown, ex- 

 ceeding the perianth by 1 mm. or less : seeds 1 mm. to nearly 2 mm. long, tailed at either 

 end, the body with a smooth shining coat, about 40-striate. 



In moist or wet soil, New Brunswick to Minnesota, Georgia and Louisiana. Summer and fall. A 

 form, J. Canadensis subcauddtus Engelm., has frequently weak and reclining slender stems 4-8 dm. long, 

 few scattered heads and seeds with very short tails; it occurs from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania and 

 Georgia. 



31. Juncus diffusissimus Buckl. Plants 3-6 dm. high. Eootstock short and in- 

 conspicuous : stems usually few in a tuft, slender, terete or slightly compressed, 2-4- 

 leaved : leaf -blades 10-20 cm. long, 1-1.5 mm. thick : inflorescence diffusely branched, 

 10-20 cm. high, much exceeding its lowest bract, the branches slender and widely spread- 

 ing : heads 3-12-flowered : perianth 2.5-3.5 mm. long : sepals and petals subulate, equal : 

 stamens -f as long as the perianth : capsule linear-lanceolate, 4-5.5 mm. in length, 

 almost twice as long as the perianth, obtuse or broadly acute, short-mucronate, 1-celled, 

 the valves separating through the apex in dehiscence : seeds oblong to obovoid, 0.4-0.5 

 mm. long, acute at the base, abruptly apiculate at the apex, reticulated in about 16 rows, 

 the areolae transversely plurilineolate. 



In low grounds, Indiana and Kansas to Georgia and Texas. Spring and summer. 



