About Juncus capitatus Weigel
Juncus capitatus Weigel, commonly known as dwarf rush, is a small annual herb that does not grow taller than 10 centimeters. Its stems are erect, thin, and either flat or slightly corrugated. All leaves grow at the base of the plant and reach up to 3 or 4 centimeters in length. The whole plant ranges in color from green to red or brownish. Each stem produces an inflorescence holding up to six clustered flowers. The pointed bracts at the base of the inflorescence are often more than one centimeter long, longer than the entire flower cluster, and are somewhat leaf-like, which gives the species its common name. Each flower has pointed outer tepals, plus thinner, shorter, oval-shaped inner tepals. This species has three stamens, and produces a tiny oval-shaped fruit capsule that measures one to two millimeters long. Dwarf rush is native to Europe, West Asia, and North and East Africa. In the British Isles, it is only found in Anglesey, Cornwall, and the Channel Islands, and it is rare across all these locations. It germinates in autumn, and grows in sites that hold standing water over winter then dry out completely in summer, conditions that leave the species facing very little competition. These typical growing sites include rock ledges on sea cliffs, areas around serpentine rock outcrops, and dune slacks. In some locations, it has occasionally been considered locally extinct before being observed again later.
