JUNCACE/E 207 



SMI LAX L. 



S. aspera L. (Plate XXIV). A prickly climbing under-shrub, 3-4 ft. long, 

 glabrous, much branched, with angular slender wiry stems. Leaves alternate, 

 ovate-cordate or hastate, rather leathery, shining, persistent, and with a few 

 recurved hooks at the edge. Flowers small greenish-yellow, dioecious, in sessile 

 axillary and terminal clusters. Berries red, small, globular. 



Woods, hedges, borders of fields and in the maquis. Very common and 

 characteristic throughout the littoral. September-October. Fruit in winter. 



S. mauritanica Desf. is the variety with broad, cordate, and unarmed 

 leaves, which is found in many places near the coast. In the type the recurved 

 hooks on the stem and leaves act as grappling-irons to this climber. In addition 

 there is usually a pair of tendrils at the base of each leaf. 



JUNCACE^E. 



Plants glabrous. Ovules many, parietal or axile JUNCUS. 



Plants more or less pilose. Leaves flat. Ovules 3, basal LUZULA. 



JUNCUS L. RUSH. 

 * Leaves all reduced to sheaths, or a few stem-like. Cymes lateral, many flowered. 



Root-stock perennial. 



J. effusus L. = J. communis Meyer. Common Rush. Stems soft, 1-3 

 ft. high, pith continuous. Perianth segments lanceolate, olive-green, longer 

 than the obovoid retuse capsule. Stamens 3, anthers oblong. Cymes usually 

 lax, effuse. 



Ditches and watery places. June-August. 



J. conglomerates L. Dense-flowered Rush. This is really only a variety 

 of the last, with dense subglobose cymes, perianth tinged with brown, longer 

 linear anthers and mucronate capsule. 



Damp places, woods, etc. June-July. 



J. glaucus Ehrh. Hard Rush. Stems rigid, not so tall as the last, deeply 

 grooved and striate, glaucous. Pith interrupted. Perianth segments brown, 

 narrow-lanceolate, about as long as the ovoid mucronate capsule. Stamens 6. 

 Cymes suberect. 



Damp places. May-July. 



J. diffusus Hoppe, is a hybrid between glaucus and effusus. The stems 

 are softer, less striate and glaucous, pith continuous, cyme elongate, and capsule 

 more obovoid. 



Damp places with the parents. July-August. Near La Martre (Var). 



J. acutUS L. Sharp Rush. Stems rigid, stout, 3-4 ft. high, terete, many 

 flowerless ; in large circular tufts. Sheaths long, shining. Perianth segments 

 ovate-lanceolate, brown, inner ones obtuse, winged towards tip with a broad 

 scarious margin, half as long as the ovoid turgid mucronate capsule. Cymes 

 corymbose, dense flowered, very large in fruit. Bracts lanceolate-subulate. 



Salt marshes and sea-sands. May- July. Common throughout the 

 littoral. 



J. mar it imus Lam. Great Sea Rush. Stems wiry, but less rigid and often 

 more slender than the last. Sheaths short, pale. Tufts large and irregular. 

 Perianth segments lanceolate, acute and with scarious margins, as long as the 

 elliptic-oblong acuminate capsule. Cymes more interrupted, branches long and 

 erect. Bracts not longer than the pale flowers. 



Same places and as common as the last. June-September. 



** Leaves all terete, compressed or channelled. Cymes terminal or lateral, 



1-3 (rarely 6) flowered. Testa produced at each end. 



J. triglumis L. and J. trifidus L. which come in this group are found 

 only in the Maritime Alps at considerable elevations. 



