Family |
Juncaceae
Juncus inflexus
L.
Juncus inflexus L.
(Sp. Pl.: 326; 1753 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, Pl. LX nº 2; 1966)
• Life-form & habit: Perennial rhizomatous rush, 40–120 cm tall, forming dense, stiff clumps. Stems erect, smooth, finely striate, bluish-green to glaucous, 1–3 mm thick, with a distinctly interrupted pith — a diagnostic feature separating it from J. effusus.
• Leaves: Reduced to basal sheaths, pale brown to straw-coloured, tightly clasping the stem; true blades mostly absent or reduced to short, setaceous tips.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Pseudolateral panicle, appearing lateral but overtopped by a long, erect bract resembling a continuation of the stem. Inflorescence loose to contracted, 5–15 cm long, bearing numerous small brownish-green flowers. Tepals 6, subequal, lanceolate, 2.5–3 mm long, green with scarious margins. Stamens 3–6; anthers linear, as long as or longer than filaments. Capsule oblong, trigonous, slightly longer than the perianth, brown and shining.
• Fruit: Capsule containing numerous minute, yellowish-brown seeds, oblong and finely reticulate, mucilaginous when wet.
• Phenology: Flowers and fruits from May to August.
• Habitat & elevation: Moist or wet soils along streams, ditches, and marshy meadows, typically on calcareous or clayey substrates, from lowlands up to c. 2 000 m. Tolerant of temporary flooding and moderate salinity.
• Lebanese distribution: Common in humid montane valleys and marshy slopes of Mount Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley — especially around Barouk, Dahr el-Baïdar, Ain Zhalta, and Nahr es-Safa; often co-occurring with Juncus effusus but preferring firmer, less waterlogged soils.
• Native to: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Assam, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Central European Russia, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Corse, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, DR Congo, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, East Himalaya, France, Free State, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Lesotho, Madagascar, Madeira, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, North Caucasus, Northwest European Russia, NW. Balkan Pen., Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, Xinjiang, Yemen (POWO).
• Introduced into: Amsterdam-St.Paul Is., Finland, Jawa, Michigan, New York, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Victoria, Vietnam, Virginia (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Juncus inflexus is a cosmopolitan wetland species, easily identified by its stiff, glaucous stems with interrupted pith and pseudolateral inflorescence. It differs from the closely related J. effusus by its bluish-grey colour, rougher stem texture, and visible transverse diaphragms within the pith. Mouterde (1966) highlighted its presence in humid montane grasslands and valley bottoms of Lebanon, where both species coexist but occupy slightly distinct hydrological niches.