Juncus bufonius L., Juncaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: xiao deng xin cao

English: common rush, toad rush

French: jonc des crapauds

Spanish: junco, junco de rana, resbalabueyes

Habit:  rush

Description:  "Annual herbs; stems green, slender, terete, 0.5-4 dm long, usually tufted, branched from base.  Leaves few per stem, blades flat to subterete, 3-15 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, sheaths with hyaline margins, not prolonged into auricles.  Flowers pale green, solitary, in upper 1/3 to 1/2 of plant, forming leafy, compound, dichasial cymes, lowest bract leaf-like, each flower subtended by 2 hyaline bracteoles, some flowers cleistogamous; outer perianth parts 4-7 mm long, apex acute to acuminate, inner ones shorter than outer ones, apex acute to subacute, sometimes emarginate and mucronate, all with hyaline margins; stamens (3) 6; anthers shorter than to longer than filaments.  Capsules 3-celled, 3-5 mm long, apex and base acute to rarely truncate.  Seeds brown, obliquely obovoid to ellipsoid-truncate, minutely reticulate, 0.3-0.5 mm long, without appendage"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1452-1453).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized along roadsides and trails, in disturbed boggy sites and grasslands, 1,000-1,500 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1453).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m.  Dry, arid areas, with long drought periods of 6-10 months, precipitations of 100 mm-300 mm. are concentrated in winter; somewhat dry areas where the drought may last 3-5 months, precipitations of 400-800 mm. are concentrated in winter.  Fully exposed to the sun, level areas or slopes facing north"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "This cosmopolitan, extremely variable species was probably originally native to Eurasia, North Africa, and North America" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1453).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 22) "In open swampy and muddy land". Vouchers cited: A.C. Beauglehole 5490 (CANB), J.D. McComish 26 (K)
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 11) "In open swampy and muddy land". Voucher cited: P.S. Green 1507 (A)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 460, 463, 554) Vouchers cited: Danton I(5/138)1484, Danton I(5/196)1538, Danton I(5/262)1608
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 460, 463, 554)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1452-1453)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 118)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1452-1453)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1452-1453) Voucher cited: Forbes 172.M (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1452-1453)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R. (1995) (p. 21) Voucher cited: K. Nagata 3435 (BISH)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	native	Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. (1980) (p. 89) "In wet or dry places from sea-level to 1200 m".
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. 74)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	probably introduced invasive	Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (p. 201) Along the bridle trails in the mossy forest on Mt. Santo Tomas, altitude 1,900 m; probably introduced.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. 74)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Belov, Michail (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. 74)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 199)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 199)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. 74)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	native	Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. (1980) (p. 89) "In wet or dry places from sea-level to 1200 m".
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. plate)

Additional information:
Photos and other information from Chileflora.

Additional online information about Juncus bufonius is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Juncus bufonius as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Juncus bufonius may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Belov, Michail. 2011. Chileflora (online resource).

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Hafliger, E. 1092. Monocot Weeds 3. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 132 pp. plus plates.

Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. 1980. Flora of New Zealand, Volume III: Adventive cyperaceous, petalous & spathaceous monocotyledons. Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. 220 pp.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 1 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 463 pp.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R. 1995. Contributions to the Flora of Hawai‘i. IV. New Records and name changes. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 42:13-27.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Wester, Lyndon. 1992. Origin and distribution of adventive flowering plants in Hawai‘i. In: Stone, Charles P.; Smith, Clifford W. and Tunison, J. Timothy. Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and Research. University of Hawaii, Cooperative National Park Research Studies Unit, Honolulu. University of Hawaii Press. .

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).