Juncaginaceae

By: Sajita Dhakal & Sabine von Mering

Perennial marshy herbs. Rhizomes horizontal, short, thick and stout. Leaves basal, sessile, linear, fleshy, flat or somewhat terete, ligulate, sheathing at the base of scapes. Inflorescence  scapose, spike-like, ebracteate raceme;  leafless scapes erect, shorter or longer than leaves, scarcely elongating after flowering. Flowers bisexual, 3-merous. Perianth segments 6, in 2 series. Stamens 6; anthers ovate, didymous, nearly sessile. Ovary rounded; carpels 6, all fertile or 3 fertile and 3 sterile, connate; ovule 1 per locule. Fruit a schizocarp with 1-seeded mericarps evenly attached along their length or remaining united at the top and spreading out below

Worldwide three genera and 34 species. One genus (Triglochin) and two species in Nepal.

Number of genera and species in the family, and the number of species in the genus are cited from the ‘Flowering Plants of the World’ (Christenhusz et al, 2017).