Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A synopsis of the Juncus hesperius group (Juncaceae, Juncotypus) and their hybrids in western North America

  • Published:
Brittonia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A synopsis of North American species in the Juncus hesperius group is presented. Juncus exiguus, J. hesperius, and J. laccatus form a trio of closely related species in the section Juncotypus, restricted to western North America. They are illustrated and mapped based on extensive field and herbarium studies. A key to North American members of Juncus section Juncotypus, north of Mexico, is presented. Putative hybrids in the group are morphologically intermediate and rare in mixed populations. The following putative hybrid combinations are documented: J. exiguus × J. effusus subspecies pacificus from California; J. exiguus × J. laccatus from California; J. hesperius × J. effusus subspecies pacificus from British Columbia, California, and Washington; J. hesperius × J. laccatus from Washington, and J. hesperius × J. patens from California. Three putative hybrids are illustrated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Balslev, H. 1996. Juncaceae. Flora Neotropica Monograph 68: 1–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, R. E. 2000. Juncus Linnaeus subg. Genuini. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.), Flora of North America North of Mexico, 22: 212–217. Oxford University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burg, T. M., A. J. Gaston, K. Winker & V. L. Friesen. 2005. Rapid divergence and postglacial colonization in western North American Steller's jays (Cyanocitta stelleri). Molecular Ecology 14: 3745–3755.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Calder, J. A. & R. L. Taylor. 1968. Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Part 1, Systematics of the Vascular Plants. Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, Monograph No. 4, Ottawa.

  • Češka, A. 2001. Juncaceae. In: G. W. Douglas, D. Meidinger and J. Pojar (eds.), Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, 6: 214–261. British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Ministry of Forests, Victoria.

  • Consortium of California Herbaria. 2011. Geology layer, ucjeps.berkeley.edu/consortium/ [accessed 2 December 2011].

  • Edgar, E. 1964. The leafless species of Juncus in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 2: 177–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernald, M. L. & K. M. Wiegand. 1910. The North American variations of Juncus effusus. Rhodora 12: 81–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hämet-Ahti, L. 1980. The Juncus effusus aggregate in eastern North America. Annales Botanici Fennici 17: 183–191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington, R., J. V. Barrie, R. G. B. Reid, R. MacLeod, D. J. Smith, T. S. James & R. Kung. 2003. Late Pleistocene coastal paleogeography of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada, and its implications for terrestrial biogeography and early postglacial human occupation. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 40: 1755–1766.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hitchcock, C. L. & A. Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle.

  • Kirschner, J., B. Ertter, L. Hämet-Ahti, L. J. Novara, V. S. Novikov, S. Snogerup, K. L. Wilson & P. F. Zika. 2002. Juncus subg. Agathryon sect. Juncotypus. Pp. 57–145. In: J. Kirschner (ed.), Juncaceae 3: Juncus subg. Agathryon, Species plantarum: Flora of the world part 8. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lint, H. L. 1977. A revision of Juncus subgenus Genuini (Juncaceae) in the Pacific States. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Oregon State University, Corvallis.

  • Nilsson, O. & S. Snogerup. 1971. Drawings of Scandinavian plants 50–54, Juncus L. Botaniska Notiser 124: 179–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piper, C. V. 1906. Flora of the State of Washington. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 11: 1–637.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snogerup, S., P. F. Zika & J. Kirschner. 2002. Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on Juncus. Preslia 74: 247–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stace, C. A. 1975. Juncus L. Pp. 461–467. In: C. A. Stace (ed.), Hybridization and the flora of the British Isles. The Botanical Society of the British Isles and Academic Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swab, J. C. 1993. Juncaceae, Rush Family. Pp. 1157–1166. In: J. C. Hickman (ed.), The Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. L. & G. A. Mulligan. 1968. Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Part 2, Cytological Aspects of the Vascular Plants. Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, Monograph No. 4, Ottawa.

  • Topp, C. M. & K. Winker. 2008. Genetic patterns of differentiation among five landbird species from the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. The Auk 125: 461–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tropicos. 2011. http://www.tropicos.org/Image/100155414 [accessed 7 April 2011].

  • Warner, B. G., R. W. Mathewes & J. J. Clague. 1982. Ice-free conditions on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, at the height of the late Wisconsin glaciation. Science 218: 675–677.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, M. 2010. A novel approach to the determination and identification of Juncus × diffusus Hoppe and J. ×kern-reichgeltii Jansen & Wacht. ex Reichg. Watsonia 28: 43–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zika, P. F. 2003. The native subspecies of Juncus effusus (Juncaceae) in western North America. Brittonia 55: 150–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2006. A key to Juncus section Juncotypus in British Columbia. Botanical Electronic News No. 358, http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben358.html#2 [accessed 14 April 2011].

Download references

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the curators and staff at the following herbaria for loans or access to collections: ALTA, ASU, BISH, BM, BOIS, C, CAN, CAS, CHSC, COCO, COLO, CRLA, DAO, DBG, DS, ELRG, F, FHL, FTU, FVCC, GFND, GH, HSC, ID, ISC, JEPS, K, KHD, LINN, LL, MALA, MICH, MO, MONT, MONTU, NEBC, NMC, NMRC, NY, ORE, OSC, P, PMAE, POM, RM, RSA, SD, SOC, SJNM, SRP, TEX, TNFS, UBC, UC, UNM, US, USFS, UTEP, UVIC, V, WILLU, WS, WTU, WTUH, and WWB. In addition I would like to thank the directors and staff of institutions not listed in Index Herbariorum: the Arboretum of the University of California Santa Cruz; Reed College, Portland, Oregon; Olympic National Forest, Olympia, Washington; The Evergreen State College, Olympia; North Cascades National Park, Marblemount, Washington; Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, Washington; and the Slater Museum of Natural History at the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington. Partial funding was received from the Lawrence R. Heckard Fund of the Jepson Herbarium and the Washington Native Plant Society. The line drawings are by Linda Brooking; the maps were prepared by Ben Legler. I extend my appreciation to my reviewers, as well as to Adolf Češka, Ken Chambers, the late Steve Clements, Alison Colwell, Barbara Ertter, Leena Hämet-Ahti, Jan Kirschner, the late Harold Lint, Frank Lomer, Julie Nelson, Dylan Neubauer, Sven Snogerup, Michael Wilcox, Barbara Wilson, and Thomas Zanoni for their assistance. I am delighted that Rich Rabeler and Tony Reznicek at MICH directed me to the previously unrecognized isotypes of Juncus exiguus. I am especially grateful to Kanchi Gandhi at GH for pointing out the earliest authorship for the combination J. effusus subsp. pacificus.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. WTU Herbarium, Box 355325, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-5325, USA

    Peter F. Zika

Authors
  1. Peter F. Zika
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter F. Zika.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zika, P.F. A synopsis of the Juncus hesperius group (Juncaceae, Juncotypus) and their hybrids in western North America. Brittonia 65, 128–141 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-012-9261-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-012-9261-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation