''Juncus triformis'' is an uncommon species of rush known by the common names Yosemite dwarf rush and long-styled dwarf rush. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, where it grows in wet

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

rock habitat covered in thin soil layers, such as

vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...

s and seeps. It is known from the Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, southern Cascade Range, and locations in the eastern

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa ...

and the Peninsular Ranges in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

.Jepson
. 2.12.2013 ;Description ''Juncus triformis'' is a small annual herb forming dense clumps of hair-thin red stems up to about 16 centimeters high. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is made up of one to eight tiny flowers atop each stem. The flowers have a few greenish to bright red segments no more than 4 or 5 millimeters long.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Juncus triformis''''Juncus triformis'' Photo gallery
triformis Endemic flora of California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Plants described in 1868 {{Poales-stub