''Juncus antarcticus'', also known as dwarf rush, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

species in the rush family

Juncaceae Juncaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the rush family. It consists of 8 genera and about 464 known species of slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous monocotyledonous plants that may superficially resemble grasses and s ...

, native to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

and Australia.

Description

It is a dwarf perennial that forms cushions and has well-developed rhizomes and stolons. The culms are erect, smooth, and 0.5–5 cm high, both slightly shorter and slightly exceeding the leaves in length. The leaves are borne on the more or less elongated aerial portion of a stem, with the older leaves persisting and turning yellow-brown. The inflorescence is a 1–5-flowered cluster, which expands to about 3–7 mm in diameter when in fruit. There are three stamens, sometimes six. The upper part of the ovoid capsules is reddish-brown, and they are 2–3 mm long.

Distribution

In Australia, it is found in New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria. In Victoria, it is found late-lying snowpatches and at the edges of bogs and creeks on the

Bogong High Plains The Bogong High Plains (), part of the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, are a section of plains located in the Alpine National Park in the Australian state of Victoria and are situated south of Mount Bogong. In winter this area ...

. In New Zealand, it is found in both the North and South Islands, and

Stewart Stewart may refer to: People *Stewart (name), Scottish surname and given name *Clan Stewart, a Scottish clan *Clan Stewart of Appin, a Scottish clan Places Canada *Stewart, British Columbia *Stewart Township, Nipissing District, Ontario (histor ...

, Chatham,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

and

Campbell Islands The Campbell Islands (or Campbell Island Group) are a group of subantarctic islands, belonging to New Zealand. They lie about 600 km south of Stewart Island. The islands have a total area of , consisting of one big island, Campbell Isl ...

Habitat

It is found in wetlands, bogs and mires. In the northern part of its range (in New Zealand and Australia) it is alpine to subalpine, but in the subantarctic islands and around Otago it is also found at sea level.

Conservation status

In both 2009 and 2012 it was deemed to be "Not Threatened" under the

New Zealand Threat Classification System The New Zealand Threat Classification System is used by the Department of Conservation to assess conservation priorities of species in New Zealand. The system was developed because the IUCN Red List, a similar conservation status system, had some ...

, and this New Zealand classification was reaffirmed in 2018, with the further comment that it is secure overseas. In Victoria it is listed as vulnerable under the

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

References

External links

''Juncus antarcticus'' images and occurrence data
from

GBIF The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international organisation that focuses on making scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet using web services. The data are provided by many institutions from around th ...

''Juncus antarcticus'' occurrence data
from AVH {{Taxonbar, from=Q15505078 antarcticus Plants described in 1844 Taxa named by Joseph Dalton Hooker Flora of New Zealand Flora of Australia