Juncus capillaceus
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| Laharpe |
Juncus capillaceus is a plant species from the rush family(Juncaceae) that occurspredominantly in South America.
features
Juncus capillaceus is a perennial , herbaceous plant . It reaches heights of growth of 5 to 30 cm. It has a creeping rhizome 1.5 to 2 mm in diameter. It is covered with a filamentous, dark brown layer of sclerenchyma fibers , remains of disintegrated cataphylls and leaf bases. The internodes are very short, the stems are therefore in dense rows. The plants form lawns. The stems stand upright, are hollow, and have a diameter of 0.4 to 0.7 mm. There are 1 to 3 to 1.5 cm long cataphylls per stem, which are yellow-brown and bear up to 5 mm long rudiments of spreading. The leaves are all basal, one or two per stem and are 5 to 20 cm long. The leaf sheath is 0.7 to 1.7 cm long and eyed. The blade is filamentous, 0.3 to 0.6 mm in diameter.
The inflorescence is terminal or apparently lateral. It is composed of 2 to 3 short, one-sided cymes and consists of 2 to 10 individual flowers in total. The lower bract is 1.5 to 5 cm long and looks like the extension of the stem. It towers over the inflorescence. The remaining bracts are smaller. Each flower is surrounded by two bracts. the tepals are uneven, lanceolate, light green, turning brown when ripe. The outer tepals are 2.3 to 3 mm long, the inner 2 to 2.5 mm. The six stamens are 1.1 to 1.3 mm long. The elongated anthers are 0.3 to 0.4 mm long.
The capsule fruit is ellipsoidal to elongated, triangular with concave side surfaces, 2.3 to 2.6 mm long, 1.2 to 1.6 mm wide, thin-walled, often with indentations of the seeds, shiny and triple. The seeds are egg-shaped, asymmetrical, brown, and covered with narrow polygons.
Occurrence
Juncus capillaceus occurs primarily in South America. It grows in the Andes mostly over 2700 m from Venezuela to Ecuador and Bolivia. It is rare in Peru. It also occurs at lower altitudes in Concepción in Chile and along the east coast from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires. There are scattered finds from Spain, South Africa and Australia, probably due to importation. In the northern Andes, it is ecologically similar to Juncus imbricatus , so it grows and flowers in dry locations. Both types often occur together. Juncus capillaceus often grows in small clumps along roads or in old meadows.