RUSH FAMILY. 



Family 17. JUNCACEAE Vent. Tabl. a: 150, 



RUSH FAMII.V. 



Perennial or sometimes annual, grass-like, usually tufted herba, *. 

 growing in moist places. Inflorescence usually compound or decompound pani- 

 culate, corymbose, or umbelloid, rarely reduced to a single flower, bearing iu 

 flowers singly, or loosely clustered, or aggregated into spikes or Vfrif Flower* 

 small, regular, with or without bractlets (prophylla). Perianth 6-pn- 

 parts glumaceous. Stamens 3 or 6, rarely 4 or 5, the anther* adnate 

 --celled, dehiscing by a slit. Pistil superior, tricarj.u- . 1||, 



with 3-many ascending anatropous ovules, and 3 filiform sti^ma>. Fruit a loctt' 

 licidal capsule. Seeds 3-many, small, cylindric t<> Mit>globoae. with loose or 

 close seed-coat, with or without caruncular or tail-like appendages. 



Seven genera and about 200 species, widely distributed. 



Leaf-sheaths open; capsule i- or 3-celled, many-seeded; placentae parietal of axial i / 

 -'-sheaths closed; capsule i -celled, 3-seedeu, its placenta haaaL 



i. JUNCUS L, Sp. PI. 325 d753). 



Usually perennial plants, principally of swamp habitat, with glabrous 

 if-bearingor scapose, leaf -sheaths with free margins, ami leaf blades terete, ; 

 like, or channeled. Inflorescence paniculate or i-oryml>ose, often unilateral, 

 gested, bearing its flowers either singly and with 2 bractlets > prophylla , or in be**U and with- 

 out bractlets, but each in the axil of a bract; bractk-ts almost always entire; stamens 6 to j; 

 ovary i-celled or by the intrusion of the placentae 3-celled, the placentae correspondingly 

 parietal or axial; seeds several-many, usually distinctly reticulated or ribbed, often tailed. 



About 150 species, most abundant in the north temperate zone. The pecies bloom in mtmmrt 

 [Latin, fromjutigo, to bind, in allusion to the use of these plants for withe* ] 



A. Lowest leaf of the inflorescence terete, not conspicuously channeled, erect, apptanaf lik a cs- 

 tinuation of the stem, the inflorescence therefore appearing lateral; stem leaves none 



1. Flowers bracteolate, inserted singly on the branches of the inflorescence. C.KN 



Perianth-parts green, or in age straw-colored. 



Perianth-parts equalling or exceeding the capsule, all acute. 



Stamens 3; leaf of the inflorescence much shorter than the ten. 

 Capsule without a distinct apical papilla. 

 Capsule with a distinct apical papilla. 



Stamens 6; leaf of inflorescence about equalling tin sti-ni. "r II.MW 

 Perianth-parts reaching only the middle 4- / Iff 1 " 



Perianth-parts with a chestnut-brown stripe down eitln -midrib. 5. / B*t 



2. Flowers not bracteolate, inserted in heads on the branches of the inflorescence. THAI 



Perianth-parts pale brown; seed tailless. 



Perianth-parts green, or in age straw-colored; seed tailed. 



B. Lowest leaf of the inflorescence not appearing like a continuation of the fttm. or if ss. con- 

 spicuously channeled along the upper side, the inflorescence usually appearing t 



1 . LEAF-BLADE TRANSVERSELY FLATTENED 1 1 NSKKTKD WITH ttl I KA r ACtxo TUB 



STEM), OR TERETE AND CHANNELED, NOT PROVIDED \vi 1 11 - 



# Flowers bracteolate, inserted singly on the branches <.f the inflorescence, sometimes dMi ri 

 congested, but never in true heads. POIOPHYI.I.I. 



\nnual- inflorescence, exclusive of its leaves, more than one-third the height 



Perennial; inflorescence, excluding leaves, not one -third the height of the plant 



Leaf-blade flat, but sometimes involute in drying. _ 



entire auricles. 

 Cauline leaves i or 2, rarely wanting; penanth part 





T.,flr,foc>n> rarelv exceeded by its lowest leal; noweis pi 



^^S^^^^^'^'^-' 



leaf of in 

 Seed tailed. 





capsule globose-ovoid. 



*Text contributed by Mr. FREDERICK V. COVII.I.K. 



