Juncus acutus

Juncus acutus, Juncus littoralis, Juncus spinosus, Spiny Rush, Sharp rush,

Hebrew: סמר חד, Arabic: رامس رم


Scientific name:		Juncus acutus L.
Synonym name:		Juncus littoralis C.A.Mey., Juncus spinosus Forssk.
Common name:		Spiny Rush, Sharp rush
Hebrew name:		סמר חד
Arabic name:		Samaar morr, رامس رم
Family:		Juncaceae, Rush Family, סמריים

_{Location: Hadera Forest, Winter pool}


Life form:		Hemicryptophyte
Spinescence:		Leaves
Stems:		100-120 cm tall; pith filled stems, rounded in cross-section, unbranched; glabrous
Leaves:		Rosette, entire, smooth, spinescent
Inflorescence:		Stems bear dense branching clusters of flowers just below their tips, which taper into a very sharp spine; At base of flower clusters usually one or two leafy bracts (4-25 cm long); Flower clusters are made up of 5-50 smaller clusters, each containing 1-6 flowers
Flowers:		3 sepals; 3petals; 6 stamens, 3-celled ovary; greenish, brown, reddish-brown depending on age
Fruits / pods:		Capsule, 3-celled brown; seeds, brown, membranous tail at either end
Flowering Period:		April, May, June, July, August, September
Habitat:		Humid habitats
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:		Med – Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:		Perennating

_{Location: Hadera Forest, Winter pool}
Derivation of the botanical name:

Juncus, the classical Latin name for the rush; junctus, pp. of jungere, to join, to bind, because the stems were used for binding.

acutus, sharpened, sharp pointed; sharpened to a point.
littoralis, of the sea shore; littoral
spinosus, thorny; spiny.
The Hebrew name: סמר, samar, from סמר, bristle, rough, so called in allusion to the erect stalks.

The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
The standard author abbreviation C.A.Mey is used to indicate Carl Anton von Meyer (1795 – 1855), a Russian botanist and explorer.
The standard author abbreviation Forssk. is used to indicate Peter Forsskål (1732 – 1763), a Swedish explorer, orientalist and naturalist.

_{Location: Hadera Forest, Winter pool}