Ball of bulrush

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Ball of bulrush
Ball bulrush (Juncus conglomeratus)

Ball bulrush ( Juncus conglomeratus )

Systematics
Monocots
Commelinids
Order : Sweet grass (Poales)
Family : Rush Family (Juncaceae)
Genre : Rushes ( Juncus )
Type : Ball of bulrush
Scientific name
Juncus conglomeratus
L.
Consist of the ball of bulrush
illustration

The bulrush ( Juncus conglomeratus ) is a species of plant that belongs to the rush family. The specific epithet conglomeratus (Latin) = curled, heaped refers to the head-like, contracted inflorescence.

description

The ball bulrush is a deciduous, perennial, hemicryptophyte that often grows in dense clumps without runners. The dark to gray-green plant reaches heights of between 30 and 100 centimeters, sometimes even more. The tubular stems filled with pulp grow rigidly upright and have fine longitudinal ribs. They have only one leaf protruding from the inflorescence . The basal leaf sheaths without a spider are yellowish brown and blunt.

The inflorescence is an apparently lateral, multi-flowered spiral . This is often contracted in a compact, head-like manner, rarely loosely spread out. The six equally large tepals are between 2.5 and 3.5 millimeters long. They are long pointed, brownish, with narrow skin margins and usually longer than the fruit. The usually only three anthers are longer than the stamens and ribbon-shaped. The three upright scars are red. The ovary is three times as long as the stylus . The fruits are triangular capsules . They are widened at the top and sunk a little. The stylus sits in this recess. The seeds are small and reddish brown. The bulrush blooms between May and July.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 40 or 42.

Distribution and location

The ball bulrush is native to Europe, West Asia and North Africa. It was probably introduced to North America.

It grows in wet ruderal fields , in wet meadows , on paths, on ditches and also in forests. It occurs mainly in societies of the Juncion acutiflori association, but also in acidic societies of the Molinion or Calthion associations.

ecology

The ball bulrush is a half-light to full-light plant. Their ecological focus is on alternately moist, acidic to moderately acidic, low-nitrogen soils.

The flowers are pollinated by the wind ( anemophilia ). The diaspores are also spread by the wind ( anemochory ) or by adhering to the fur or plumage of animals ( epizoochory ).

literature

  • J. Grau, BP Kremer, BM Möseler, G. Rambold & D. Triebel: Gräser , Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-576-10702-9
  • Henning Haeupler , Thomas Muer: picture atlas of the fern and flowering plants of Germany (= the fern and flowering plants of Germany. Volume 2). Published by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4 .
  • Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994. ISBN 3-8252-1828-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp.  148 .

Web links

Commons : Bulrush ( Juncus conglomeratus )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files