Flora of the Southeastern United States

Juncus dichotomus Elliott. Common name: Forked Rush. Phenology: May-Oct. Habitat: Often in disturbed, open, wet areas, ditches, wet meadows. Distribution: Massachusetts to c. peninsular Florida, west to Oklahoma and Texas; Central America.

ID notes: Distinguished from J. anthelatus and J. tenuis by the shorter, rounded, scarious auricles. Distinguished from J. dudleyi by having brown drab auricles, and distinguished from the very similar J. interior by the light brown or darker capsules.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: The character used to separate J. platyphyllus (Wiegand) Fernald from J. dichotomus (flat leaf blade vs. terete leaf blade) does not appear to be reliable; leaf blades from culms in the same clump may vary from flat to slightly involute to completely terete.

Synonymy ⓘ: = AqW, Ar, ETx1, FNA22, GW1, K4, NcTx, NE, NS, NY, Pa, POWO, Tn, Tx, Va, W, WH3, WV, Kirschner (2002b), Kirschner (2002c); (Alt) = Agathryon dichotomum (Elliott) Záv.Drábk. & Proćków — Proćków & Záveská Drábková (2023); = Juncus tenuis Willdenow var. dichotomus (Elliott) Alph.Wood — C, Meso6; > Juncus dichotomus Elliott — F, RAB, Tat; > Juncus dichotomus Elliott var. dichotomus — G, K1, S; > Juncus dichotomus Elliott var. platyphyllus Wiegand — G, K1, S; > Juncus platyphyllus (Wiegand) Fernald — F, RAB, Tat. Basionym: Juncus dichotomus Elliott 1817

Links to other floras: = Juncus dichotomus - FNA22

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACW
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACW
• Great Plains: FACW
• Midwest: FACW
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACW

Heliophily ⓘ: 9