Juncus australis Hook.f. APNI* 
Description: Strongly rhizomatous perennial. Culms terete, 50–100 cm long, 1.6–3.3 mm diam., hard, blue-green to grey-green or occasionally dull yellow-green, subglaucous; culm striations 35–75; pith interrupted, rarely continuous.
Cataphylls 7–19 cm long, lax, abaxially dark yellow-brown to red-brown at base, adaxially silvery or occasionally pale golden brown.
Inflorescence pseudolateral, diffuse or head-like, 2–6 (rarely to 14) cm long; flowers numerous densely to loosely clustered; lowest involucral bract 8–18 cm long, longer than inflorescence. Tepals straw-brown, occasionally tinged red-brown, with ± narrow hyaline margins; outer tepals 2.0–2.5 (rarely to 3.0) mm long, longer than inner tepals. Stamens 3, shorter than outer tepals; anthers 0.5–0.9 mm long.
Capsule shorter than to longer than outer tepals, obovoid to ellipsoid, obtuse, not or scarcely apiculate, golden brown.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: South from Glen Innes, mainly on the Tablelands, extending to the coastal ranges south from Bilpin and west to near Wellington and Albury. Grows in wet or seasonally wet situations in grasslands and woodlands.
NSW subdivisions: CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, SWS
Other Australian states: Vic. Tas. S.A.
Culms have strongly sunken stomates (as seen in cross-section). A form at higher altitudes on the ST has very clustered heads and continuous pith.
Text by K. L. Wilson, L. A. S. Johnson & P. Bankoff (1993); edited KL Wilson (July 2016, Nov 2022)
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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