Juncus articulatus L.

  • Authority

    Balslev, Henrik. 1996. Juncaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 68: 1-167. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Juncaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Juncus articulatus L.

  • Type

    Type. Europe, n.v.

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Species Description - Perennial, cespitose herbs, 30-50 cm high. Rhizome densely branching or creeping, 2-4 mm diam. Culms clustered, erect or ascending, 1-3 mm diam., terete, smooth. Cataphylls inconspicuous or absent. Foliar leaves mostly inserted on the culm, to 30 cm long; sheath to 10 cm long, with scariose margin terminating in 2 rounded, 1 mm long auricles; blade 1-2 mm diam., terete, conspicuously septate. Inflorescence compound or decompound, anthelate, 310 x 2-8 cm, flower heads 3-35, conical to hemiglobose, 5-10 mm diam., 3-12-flowered, usually castaneous. Lower inflorescence bract 1-5 cm long, much shorter than the inflorescence, with a reduced, terete blade, distal bracts shorter, floral bracts acuminate, to 3 mm long, scariose. Tepals 2-3 mm long, linear-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, outer tepals concave or V-shaped in x.s., inner tepals flat. Stamens 6, 1.5-2 mm long. Capsule exceeding the tepals at maturity, ovoid and acuminate in outline, sharply trigonous in x.s., 2.5-4 x 1-1.5 mm, castaneous to almost black, unilocular, the valves inflexing along the margins at maturity. Seeds oblong-ellipsoid, apiculate, 0.5 x 0.2 mm, reticulate, yellow-brown with hyaline outer seed coat.

  • Discussion

    The inclusion of Juncus articulatus here is based on a single old collection made in Peru by the German botanist and explorer W. Lechler (1814— 1856), who lived in South America during 18501855. Lechler’s collections from Peru (1850-1853) were issued as an exsiccatae, edited by R. F. Hohen-acker. The above-cited specimen, however, does not bear the original label of the exsiccatae but only a handwritten note saying “Perou, Lechler, Ex herb. Steudel.” The species has not been collected by others in the neotropical region, and the specimen may have received its label by an error. On the other hand, considering its anthropochorous behaviour elsewhere, it may be naturalised in Peru.

  • Distribution

    Juncus articulatus is widely distributed in Eurasia and temperate North America. It appears to be expanding its range and is adventive in many places, often growing in habitats that have been influenced by humans.

    Peru South America|