Juncus bufonius Linn., Sp.Pl. 328. 1753. Boiss., Fl. Or. 5:361. 1884; Hook. f., Fl. Brit.Ind. 6:392. 1894; Krecz. & Gontsch. in Kom., Fl. URSS. 3:517. 1935; Snog. in Rech. f., l.c. 16.
Annual, erect, ascending to spreading herb, (3-)5-30 (-50) cm long, fibrous rooted, slender, often gregarious and seemingly tufted or caespitose, usually with several basal leaves and one cauline leaf; stem branched, slender. Leaves usually 1-5 cm x 1-1.15 mm, setaceous or filiform, with a non-auricled broader sheathing base, deeply channeled. Inflorescence a much branched to subsimple panicle, often occupying greater part of the plant with distantly placed (2-) 3-5 (or more) flowers on each branch. Flowers (3-) 5-7.5 mm long, solitary or sometimes 2-3, seemingly together, sessile or subsessile, greenish to straw-coloured; perianth segments unequal, outer usually longer, lanceolate-acuminate, often pale green with hyaline margins, exceeding the oblong, blunt capsules. Stamens 6, up to 2 mm long with subequal anthers and filaments. Capsules (3-) 4-5 mm long, c. 2 mm broad, ovoid to oblong with rounded to obtuse apices, very minutely pointed at the apex, buff, yellowish to brownish; seeds ovoid-rounded to broadly ellipsoid, 0.3-0.5 mm long, c. 1.5 times as long as broad, usually reddish-brown, mucilaginous.
Type: Europe, Herb. Linn .no .449/24 (LINN).
A very widespread and variable species occuring in a wide range of damp habitats. Kreczetowicz & Gontscharov (in Kom, l.c.) have split it into 5 or 6 independent species, based on habit, flower size etc., but their status is uncertain. Some of these are reduced to synonym or recognized here as varieties of this species.
Lower Taxa
Related Synonym(s):