''Juncus occidentalis'' is a species of
rush known by the common name western rush. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in wet areas in many types of habitat. This is a bunching perennial herb with thin, stiff stems reaching maximum heights between 30 and 60 centimeters. The wispy leaves grow from the base of the stem and may approach half the stem's 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 forme ...
holds loose bundles of individual flowers and there is usually one long, leaflike
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...
extending far past the flowers. Each flower has green-striped brownish to reddish
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 each several millimeters long, and six
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 fila ...
s with small anthers. The fruit is a brown capsule which grows encased within the tepals.
References
Jepson Manual Treatment*C.Michael Hogan ed. 2010
''Juncus occidentalis''. Encyclopedia of Life
External links
Photo gallery
occidentalis
Plants described in 1900
Flora of the Western United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Poales-stub