Juncus tenuis (path rush, "Kusai")

Japanese name: クサイ （草藺）
Scientific name: Juncus tenuis

[Overview]
A perennial 30–50 cm tall, seen along roadsides, around houses and on mountain paths.
It has a rhizome.
The leaves are alternate and clustered on the lower part of the stem; they are linear, with the margins slightly rolled toward the upper surface.
The leaf base forms a sheath that clasps the stem, and the upper part of the sheath becomes a membranous, ear-like lobe.
A cyme is borne at the stem tip.
The inflorescence has bracts, and the lowest bract is longer than the inflorescence.
The flowers are borne singly on the small branches of the inflorescence.
There are 6 tepals, lanceolate with pointed tips and about 0.4 cm long, green with white membranous margins.
There are 6 stamens, half the length of the tepals, and the anthers are half the length of the filaments.
The capsule is ovate, glossy and greenish brown, and its length is equal to or slightly shorter than the persistent tepals.
The seeds are sticky and cling to the soles of shoes and the like, so the plant is often seen in places with foot traffic.

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