''Juncus ensifolius'' is a species of
rush known by the common names swordleaf rush,
sword-leaved rush,
and three-stamened rush. It is native to much of western North America from
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
to central Mexico, and into eastern Canada. It is present in Japan and far eastern Russia, and it has been
introduced to many other regions of the world, including Europe, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Australia. It is a plant of wet areas in many types of habitat. This is a
rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...
perennial herb forming clumps of stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall. The flat but curving leaves are mostly located at the base of the stems and are variable in length. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is an array of many rounded clusters of many flowers each. Each flower has a number of dark brown to black
tepal
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s a few millimeters long and usually three small
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s enclosed between them. The fruit is an oblong capsule with a small beak on the tip.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
ensifolius
Plants described in 1823
{{Poales-stub