[ 1725 ]
J U N C U S maritimus.
Lesser Sharp Sea Rush.
HEXANDRIA Monogynia.
Gen. Char. Cal. of 6 leaves, permanent. Cor. none.
Caps- superior, of 3 valves, with 1 or 3 cells. Seeds
several. Stigmas 3.
Spec. Char. Stem round, naked. Panicle terminal,
proliferous. General involucrum of two spinous
upright leaves. Capsules oblong.
Syn. Juncus maritimus. Sm. F I. B rit. 375 . Gulp.
Comp. 28.
J. acutus 13. Linn. Sp. P I. 464. Huds. 148. With. 346.
H ull. 75.
J. acutus maritimus anglicus. R a ii Syn. 431.
No person who has ever seen this and the J. acutus, t. 1614,
alive together could long doubt of their being distinct species.
The present is a lower and much more slender plant, of a more
glaucous aspect. The capsule is much smaller, and of a linear-
oblong triangular figure, quite distinct from the large round
seed-vessel of the other, which caused the old botanists to
compare its panicle to that of Holeus Sorghum. The panicle
of our J. maritimus is erect, close and slender, compound,
and, as it were, proliferous, its branches very unequal, partly
cymose. Outer leaf of the involucrum straight, erect, pungent,
longer than the panicle; inner very short, awlshaped. Calyx-
leaves lanceolate, acute, jagged towards the point.
On the sea coast of Norfolk this is very common and abundant,
especially in muddy places, flowering in August. It is
found also in various other parts of the British coast, often
along with J. acutus, which however is a much rarer plant on
the whole with us. The root is perennial; the whole herb
hard, tough and rigid.