Juncus australis Hook.f.
Type locality: Australian. Type: K.
Broad, loosely packed clumps, often with few stems at the centre; occ. not clump-forming and stems few. Rhizome 3–5 mm. diam., horizontal. Flowering stems 60–120 cm. × (1.5)–2–4 mm., hard, ridged, not shining, blue- or grey-green, pith interrupted, us. almost wanting, rarely continuous; lvs 0; basal bracts chestnut-brown below, the uppermost straw-coloured and very loosely sheathing. Infl. apparently lateral, many-fld, much-branched, with fls clustered at branchlet tips, or condensed to a globose head > 1.5 cm. diam. with 1 or more lateral clusters. Fls 2.2–3 mm. long; tepals pale green, later becoming light brown. Stamens 3, occ. 4, or variable 3–6. Capsule 2.3–3 mm. long, = or occ. slightly > tepals, ovoid to obovoid, obtuse, almost retuse at the tip, pale greenish brown.
DIST.: K., N., S.
In damp pasture and swampy places from sea level to 600 m. altitude; not common in the south of South Id.
Many specimens of J. australis have been labelled J. vaginatus R. Br. J. vaginatus R. Br. occurs in Australia but has not been found in N.Z.; it has continuous pith, very coarsely striated culms and large fls in dense clusters.
J. australis is recognised by the rather large, pale brown fls and capsules. In mature stems the pith is almost completely absent, remaining only as scale-like projections round the walls of the hollow, central cavity, or as thin, scale-like cross-partitions.
