bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Oreojuncus trifidus is a species of rush known by the common names highland rush[2] and three-leaved rush.[3] It is native to the Northern Hemisphere, where it is an arctic/montane species with an amphi-atlantic distribution.[4]^: 46[5]

Oreojuncus trifidus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Juncaceae
Genus:	Oreojuncus
Species:	O. trifidus
Binomial name
Oreojuncus trifidus L. Záv.Drábk. & Kirschner
Synonyms[1]
Juncus alpestris Bubani Juncus trifidus L. Juncus trifidus subsp. carolinianus Hämet-Ahti

Description

Oreojuncus trifidus is a perennial herb with tufted stems up to 40 centimeters long, growing erect or drooping. There are a few grasslike leaf blades measuring up to 12 centimeters long. The inflorescence holds one to four flowers with brown tepals and six stamens. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long.[6][7] The plant reproduces sexually with its flowering structures and vegetatively via its rhizome, when it may form colonies.[8]

Habitat

This species grows in a number of habitat types, especially in alpine environments. It can be found in talus, on cliffs and ledges, fellfields, tundra, and meadows. It grows in a wide variety of heath ecosystems. The soils may be dry to moist, calcareous, and acidic.[8] They may be gravelly, sandy, and rich in iron. The plant is known as a pioneer on ski slopes and roadsides.[6] It may grow alongside many types of mosses and lichens.[8]

Distribution

Oreojuncus trifidus is an amphi-atlantic plant,[4] native to northern and eastern Canada, including the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and other low Arctic regions, the northeastern United States, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, northern Britain, and northern Asia.[6] It also occurs in the high mountains of southern Europe.[5] While not rare in general, the plant faces threats in some locations. Some populations in the Adirondacks are harmed by trampling by hikers.[9] Rush habitat on Camel's Hump and Mount Marcy also suffers from trampling disturbance.[8] Rush-dominated heath in the Cairngorms is also potentially threatened by trampling.[10]

References

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