Skip to main content

Juncus microcephalus Kunth

Reference
Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth, Nov.Gen.Sp.Pl. 1:237 (1816)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Alien to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Robust rhizomatous, colonial perennial, herb, 0.5-2 m high. Fl. Nov to Dec or Jan to Feb. Clay, sand, often wet. Drains, springs.

Grazyna Paczkowska, Descriptive Catalogue, 8 August 1994
Image

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren.
IBRA Subregions
Dandaragan Plateau, Fitzgerald, Northern Jarrah Forest, Perth, Recherche, Southern Jarrah Forest, Warren.
IMCRA Regions
Leeuwin-Naturaliste, WA South Coast.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Albany, Augusta Margaret River, Bayswater, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Busselton, Canning, Capel, Chittering, Cockburn, Collie, Dardanup, Denmark, Esperance, Gingin, Gosnells, Kalamunda, Manjimup, Melville, Mundaring, Murray, Nannup, Plantagenet, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, West Arthur.

Management Notes (for the Swan NRM Region)

General Biology. Growth form. Sedge. Life form. Perennial. Reproduction. Seed. Dispersal. Water, machinery.

Notes. A polymorphic, highly variable neotropical species. Occurs in naturally disturbed wetlands and rivers. Rapidly colonises silt beds and riparian zones, leading to changes in water flow, erosion of banks and increased siltation. Roots form tubers with swollen cortical parenchyma. Capsules bear hundreds of very small seeds. Germinates in light, but remains dormant in the dark. When seeds mature, flowering stems bend toward the ground with weight, and if growing on stream or wetland bank, capsules become submerged in water, releasing and spreading seed on any current.

Additional information. Origin. Northern America, central Mexico southern America. Similar native species. Juncus holoschoenus.

Suggested method of management and control. Dig out isolated plants. Try treatment as for Juncus acutus - spray 2% glyphosate + wetting agent in late summer/autumn if there is surface water present throughout the rest of the year. In dry conditions apply in spring/early summer. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. For further information consult the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to determine the status of permits for your situation or state.

Management Calendar

Calendar Type Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Comments
Active Growth               U Y Y Y Y  
Germination                          
Flowering Y Y                 Y Y  
Fruiting U U U                    
Optimum Treatment Y Y Y Y         Y Y Y Y Depends on water levels

Legend: Y = Yes, regularly, O = Occasionally, U = Uncertain, referred by others but not confirmed.

 

References

  • Bell, D.T. (1993) The effects of light quality on germination of eight species from sandy habitats in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 41 (3): 321-326.
  • Brown, K. & Brooks, K. (2002) Bushland Weeds: A Practical Guide to their Management. Environmental Weeds Action Network, Greenwood.
  • Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. & Cousens, R.D. (2007) Western Weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia. 2nd Edition. The Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park.
  • Piepenbring, M. (2000) Edible tubers formed by roots of Juncus microcephalus Kunth in H.B.K. Journal of Botanical Taxonomy and Geobotany, 111 (7-8): 567 - 570.
  • USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program (2009) Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomysimple.aspx - Accessed October 2009.