Juncus bufonius

Juncus bufonius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Embryophytes
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Spermatophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Juncaceae
Genus:	Juncus
Species:	J. bufonius
Binomial name
Juncus bufonius L.

Juncus bufonius, known commonly as toad rush, is a widespread flowering plant species complex in the rush family Juncaceae.¹²³

Its native range is circumpolar throughout tropical, subtropical, subarctic, and temperate climate areas of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.^{14567 8} It is also widely distributed as an introduced species in suitable habitats worldwide. It grows in moist and muddy places, often in wetlands and riparian areas.⁹

In habitats where it is not native and has naturalized it may be considered a weed. The relationship of North America plants to the Eurasian Juncus ranarius is weakly delineated.³

Juncus bufonius is an annual monocot that is quite variable in appearance. It is generally a green clumping grasslike rush, with many thin stems wrapped with few threadlike leaves.³

The flowers are borne in inflorescences and also in the joint where the inflorescence branches off of the stem. It is a grassy flower folded within tough bracts and sepals.³ The blooming period is March to May in the Northern Hemisphere and September to November in the Southern Hemisphere.⁹

Varieties include:⁹

• Juncus bufonius var. bufonius — North America.¹⁰
• Juncus bufonius var. congestus — North America.¹¹
• Juncus bufonius var. occidentalis — North America.¹²
• Juncus bufonius var. rechingeri — South Asia.⁶