Monog. Junc. 228. J. communis, E. Mey. Junc. 12; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 128; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 290. J. luxurians, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix. (1887) 269. J. polyanthemus, Buchen. in Engl. Bot. Jahr. xxi. (1895) 261.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Abundant in damp places throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft. Wiwi. November–February.
Under the name of J. effusus I have for the present placed several forms which, though not exactly agreeing with the typical J. effusus, appear to be too close to it to be considered as distinct species. One of these has the tall soft stems with continuous pith, lax pale inflorescence, and small broadly obovoid almost retuse capsule of the typical state, and to my mind cannot possibly be separated from it. A second and most abundant variety has more slender rigid and wiry stems, with interrupted pith, and the capsule is rounded and imperfectly 3-celled. This I take to be the J. polyanthemus of Buchenau. Closely allied to it is a still more slender form with the inflorescence split up into small rounded glomerules, almost after the fashion of J. vaginatus (australis, Hook. f.), but differing altogether in habit and in the small capsule. Buchenau, in his monograph of the order, placed it under J. pauciflorus as var. Cheesemanii, although wanting the ovoid exserted capsule of that species. He now refers it to his J. polyanthemus. How far I am correct in merging the above, together with other less prominent varieties, under one species can only be determined by a leisurely and comprehensive study of the whole of the New Zealand forms, based upon more numerous specimens than have hitherto been collected, and checked by observations in the field. J. effusus, as ordinarily understood, is almost cosmopolitan in its distribution.
5. J. maritimus, Lam. Encycl. iii. 264; var. australiensis, Buchen. Monog. Junc. 257.—Densely tufted, tall, stout, dark-coloured, 1–3 ft. high. Rhizome short, thick, horizontal. Stems crowded on the rhizome, rigid, wiry, terete, pungent, furnished at the base with several chestnut-brown sheathing scales, the upper 1 or 2 of which are produced into terete leaves similar to the stems but shorter than them. Inflorescence lateral; cymes large, lax, irregularly branched; branches strict, erect. Flowers about ⅛ in. long, dark chestnut-brown, usually aggregated into little clusters. Perianth-segments lanceolate, acute, the inner rather shorter. Stamens 6; anthers linear. Capsule ovoid-trigonous, acute, only slightly exceeding the perianth, dark chestnut-brown. Seeds obovoid, very shortly tailed.—J. maritimus, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 145; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 292; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 263; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 289.
North and South Islands: Brackish-water marshes or sands from the North Cape to Banks Peninsula, abundant. Inland on the shores of Lake Kotorua, and by the Waikato Eiver near Orakeikorako. December–January.
Also common on most parts of the Australian coast. It differs from the typical state of the species, which has a wide distribution in the north temperate zone, in the darker colour of the whole plant, in the smaller and more densely aggregated darker flowers, in the shorter capsule, and in the less evident tails to the seeds.
