Juncus distegus Edgar

Small, tightly packed clumps. Rhizome 2–4 mm. diam., horizontal. Flowering stems 25–75 cm. × 0.75–1.5 mm., ± smooth, dull green or reddish, pith interrupted in a regular pattern by very small lacunae, pith partitions us. wider than cavities between; lvs 0; basal bracts short and closely sheathing, lower bracts bright red-brown, the upper straw-coloured. Infl. apparently lateral, compact, few-fld, composed of 2 small clusters c. 1 cm. wide, one pressed against the stem, the other at the end of a longer, slender branchlet, occ. each of the two clusters with a smaller subsidiary cluster. Fls 2.3–3 mm. long; tepals red-brown with light green centre at anthesis, becoming entirely red-brown as fr. matures. Stamens 3–4, rarely more in occasional fls. Capsule 2.5–3 mm. long, often > tepals, oblong-ovoid, obtuse, shining, chestnut-brown, often with a very dark brown tip.