Juncus bufonius L. var. bufonius
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Juncus bufonius L. var. bufonius
Juncaceae (Rush Family)NativeCommon Toad Rush |
May Photo
Plant Characteristics:
Tufted annual, branching from base, stems slender, 3-20 cm. high; lvs.
1-3 per stem, short, flat, to 1 mm. wide, often involute; auricles low, rounded,
hyaline; infl. cymose, forming the upper third to more than half of the plant,
the lower nodes with lvs. having short blades and conspicuous sheaths; fls.
borne singly on the branches; perianth segments light green, 4-6 mm. long,
lanceolate, acuminate, scarious-margined, the outer somewhat longer than inner;
petals acuminate, shorter than sepals; stamens 6; caps. oblong, the tip acute,
shorter than perianth, seeds oblong-ovoid, minutely reticulate with 30-40 rows.
Habitat:
Common in moist, especially open places, below 8000 ft.; many Plant
Communities; mainland and insular, occasional on the desert; cosmopolitan except
polar regions and tropics. April-Sept.
Name:
Latin name for rush, perhaps from jungere,
to bind, the stems used for binding. Latin,
bufonis, a toad.
(Jaeger 40). The reason for the species name is unclear.
(my comment).
General:
Uncommon in the study area; common
throughout the wet areas of 23rd St. and photographed there.
(my comments). Occurs as an impurity in lawn grass seed.
(Robbins et al. 122).
Juncus species have been known
to cause hay fever and asthma. (Fuller
383). The 1993 Jepson Manual lists three
varieties of J. bufonius while Munz, Flora
So. Calif. lists only two and one of these is not in the Jepson Manual. In
the spring of 1994, var. bufonius was
confirmed with a field check as our local variety.
(my comment).
Text Ref:
Hickman, Ed. 1159; Mason 356; Munz, Calif.
Flora 1405; Munz, Flora So. Calif.
910; Roberts 43.
Photo Ref:
May 3 84 # 14, May-June 85 # 9; May 1 88 #4.
Identity: by R. De Ruff,
confirmed by F. Roberts.
First Found: May 1984.
Computer Ref: Plant Data 66.
Have plant specimen.
Last edit 12/26/04.
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May Photo May Photo