About Juncus antarcticus Hook.
Juncus antarcticus Hook. is a dwarf perennial cushion-forming rush with well-developed rhizomes and stolons. Its culms are erect, smooth, and grow 0.5–5 cm tall; culm length is slightly shorter or slightly longer than leaf length. Leaves grow on the more or less elongated aerial section of the stem, and older leaves persist and turn yellow-brown. The inflorescence is a 1–5-flowered cluster that expands to approximately 3–7 mm in diameter when it develops fruit. It has three stamens, and occasionally six. Its ovoid capsules are 2–3 mm long, with the upper portion colored reddish-brown. This species is distributed in Australia, where it occurs in New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria; in Victoria, it grows on late-lying snowpatches, and at the edges of bogs and creeks on the Bogong High Plains. It is also found in New Zealand, occurring across the North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, Chatham Island, Auckland Island, and Campbell Island. Its general habitat includes wetlands, bogs, and mires. In the northern part of its range, which includes New Zealand and Australia, it grows in alpine to subalpine environments, but it can also be found at sea level on subantarctic islands and in the area around Otago.
