Juncus acutus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Juncus acutus
Spiny rush
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Juncaceae
Genus: Juncus
Species: J. acutus
Binomial name
Juncus acutus[1]
L.

Juncus acutus or spiny rush, sharp rush or sharp-pointed rush is of the monocot family Juncaceae and genus Juncus. It grows in salt marshes[2] and on dunes[3] and is reliable for reducing erosion rates[4] yet, in some countries like Australia it is considered to be an invasive weed[5] and the spines harmful to young children.[6]

Synonyms

  • Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii (Parl.) Snog. -- Leopold's Rush[7]
  • Juncus acutus L. var. sphaerocarpus Engelm.[8]
  • Juncus acutus L. subsp. acutus
  • Juncus spinosus Forssk. [9]
  • Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii also known as Leopold's rush is a native of Arizona, California, Georgia and Nevada.[1][8]
  • Juncus acutus L. var. conglobatus Trautv.
  • Juncus acutus L. var. decompositus Guss.
  • Juncus acutus L. var. longibracteatus Buchenau[10]

Description

Juncus acutus is a brown and green[11] "tussocky"[6] perennial that can be to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft)[11] tall in all kinds of soils,[12] in areas which go from extremes in flood and dry like dunes[3] or that just stay wet like lowland grassland and grassy woodland, riparian vegetation, freshwater wetland, and saline and subsaline wetlands.[13]

Stems and leaves
Pith filled stems and leaves arise from the base at different angles giving the plant a globe shape. The leaves form a basal sheath around the flower stem leaves and end with a stiff sharp point.[6]
Flowers
The 2 millimetres (0.079 in) to 4 millimetres (0.16 in) diameter and 4 centimetres (1.6 in) to 13 centimetres (5.1 in) long flower stems are similar to leaves and emerge from the base at all angles and each have 1 - 6 flowers. Each flower has 6 stamens and 4 centimetres (1.6 in) to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long bracts that terminate in a stiff and sharp point.[6] The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by the wind.[12]
Fruits and reproduction
Fruits are oval 3-celled brown capsules 4 millimetres (0.16 in) to 6 millimetres (0.24 in). The 1.2 millimetres (0.047 in) to 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long brown seeds have a tail at each end.[6]
Roots
Short[6] and robust rhizomes.[11]
Juncus acutus

Distribution

Found principally in low-lying damp, low fertility areas[13] like sandy sea shores and dune slacks and coastal flats,[13] occasionally in salt marshes[12] and disturbed saline areas, mine dumps, lowland grassland and grassy woodland, riparian vegetation, freshwater wetland, and saline and subsaline wetlands[13]

Palearctic:
Northern Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco
Western Asia: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey
Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Northern Europe: United Kingdom
Southeastern Europe: Albania, Crete, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, Sardinia, Serbia, Sicily
Southwestern Europe: Azores, Balearic Islands, Corsica, France, Portugal, Spain
Nearctic:
Northern Mexico: Baja Norte[1]

Community species

In Brazil, J. Acutus has been observed on the Santa Catarina coast living in communities with:
In a natural shallow depression in the Murray River floodplain in South Australia:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (2004-09-08). "Taxon: Juncus acutus L.". Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 2008-04-26. 
  2. ↑ Baba, Alper; Ken W. F. Howard, Orhan Gunduz (2006). "Groundwater in Semi-Arid Mediterranean Areas". Groundwater and Ecosystems. Springer Science+Business Media. ISBN 1-4020-4736-3. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Schardosim, Alecsandro; Klein Vanilde, Citadini-Zanette, Robson dos Santos (September 2007). "Florística e estrutura comunitária de restinga herbácea no município de Araranguá, Santa Catarina" (). Biotemas (in Portuguese) 20 (3): 15–26. – 1643. Retrieved 2008-04-25. 
  4. ↑ De Baets, S.; J. Poesen, A. Knapen, G.G. Barberá, J.A. Navarro (2007). "Root characteristics of representative Mediterranean plant species and their erosion-reducing potential during concentrated runoff" (PDF). Geophysical Research Abstracts (European Geosciences Union) 9. ISSN 1607-7962. Retrieved 2008-04-26. 
  5. ↑ Parsons, W. T.; E. G. Cuthbertson (2001). "FAMILY Juncaceae". Noxious Weeds of Australia. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 712 pages. ISBN 0-643-06514-8. Retrieved 2008-04-26. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Australia > > Spiny Rush". Weed Identification. Australian Weeds Committee, National Weeds Strategy. Retrieved 2008-04-20. 
  7. ↑ "Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 25 April 2008. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). "PLANTS Profile, Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii". The PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-04-25. 
  9. ↑ "Juncus acutus L. subsp. acutus record n° 41763". African Plants Database. South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and Tela Botanica. Retrieved 2008-04-25. 
  10. ↑ "Juncus acutus L. record n° 160745". African Plants Database. South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and Tela Botanica. Retrieved 2008-04-25. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Helen Coleman, FloraBase: Flora of Western Australia (2007-09-11). "Juncus acutus L.". Flora Descriptions. Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 2008-04-26. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Juncus acutus". Species Database. Plants For A Future. Retrieved 2008-04-25. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Spiny Rush (Juncus acutus) (Nox)". Victorian Resources Online. The State of Victoria, Department of Primary Industries. 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2008-04-25. 
  14. ↑ MERZ, SINCLAIR KNIGHT. "Loveday Swamp Data". Wetland: Loveday Swamp Final Report (South Australian Government). Retrieved 2008-04-25. 

External links

Media related to Juncus acutus at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Juncus acutus at Wikispecies

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.