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 {Jiincus bufonius) is an 



odd little plant, rarely eight inches tall, which 



often spreads in tangled mats over low ground 



by the wa>'sides and on the borders of dried-up 



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 



' / nearl}' the whole of North 



' America. 



Black-grass {Juncus Gerardi), 

 easily recognized b\- its char- 

 acteristic dark-green colour, 

 blooms in midsummer and is 

 common along the Atlantic coast 

 and b\' 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 {Spartina patens). The 

 slender wir\' 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 highl\- valued of the 

 common species, as it >ields 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 bufonius 



