Arcticus: Answers to key questions in Rushes, Bulrushes & Pondweeds plus the remaining Monocots of Saskatchewan by V. L. Harms, A. L. Leighton, and M. A. Vetter leading to this species. The answers are in the order you would normally work through the key. 

	Tepals subtended by a pair of floral bracteoles immediately below the flower; flowers borne singly in the inflorescence either +/- evenly distributed or +/- grouped in loose clusters (not in tight clusters, and if grouped in clusters individual flowers and paired floral bracteoles are still visible and not so tightly crowded such that individual flowers cannot be fairly easily identified); leaf blades, if present, not septate.  NOT [Tepals not subtended by a pair of bracteoles; flowers borne in tight clusters of 2 -100 (sometimes 1-flowered in Juncus stygius var. americanus), these clusters (glomerules) subtended by small bracts; leaf  blades septate (in most species) or not.]
	Inflorescences terminal but appearing lateral; primary bracts appearing as an extension of the culms, terete, erect; cataphylls present, with truncate to acute tips or tipped with awns short or rarely to 200 mm long; basal and cauline leaves absent; plants perennial, culms usually well-spaced (some culms may be closely-spaced but are not cespitose) usually along unbranched or sparingly-branched elongate rhizomes.  NOT [Inflorescences terminal and appearing terminal; primary bracts not appearing as terete extensions of the culms, leaf-like, erect-ascending; cataphylls and/or basal leaves present, cauline leaves present or absent; blades +/- flat or +/- canaliculate or +/- semi-terete; plants annual or perennial, culms loosely to densely cespitose.]
	Anthers 2 - 4 times longer than filaments; culms 1-3 mm wide, ridged, stiff; floral bracteoles 1.6 - 1.8 (2.5) mm long, light to chestnut-brown at the base; sepals chestnut- to dark brown; petals medium to chestnut-brown; capsules (2) 3.5 - 4.5 (5) mm long, broadly ellipsoidal to ovoid, light to chestnut-brown; seeds 0.5 - 0.8 (1) mm long, dark amber with light apicula.  NOT [Anthers one-half to two-thirds as long as filaments; culms 0.8 - 1 (1.5) mm wide, inconspicuously or slightly ridged, +/- flexible; floral bracteoles to ca. 1 mm long, stramineous; tepals and capsules greenish to light brown; capsules 2.5 - 3.5 mm long, broadly ovoid/obovoid to +/- globose; seeds 0.25 - 0.6 mm long, amber with light apicula.]

Juncus: Answers to key questions in Rushes, Bulrushes & Pondweeds plus the remaining Monocots of Saskatchewan by V. L. Harms, A. L. Leighton, and M. A. Vetter leading to this genus. 

Leaves various, glabrous; sheaths open, often with margins projected as auricles; flowers with or without a pair of floral bracteoles immediately below the tepals; capsules 1- or 3-locular (or pseudo- or incompletely-3-locular), placentation axile or parietal; seeds many.  NOT [Leaves +/- flat and grass-like, sparsely to densely ciliate; sheaths closed (or sometimes partially splitting later), auricles absent; flowers with 1 - 2 floral bracteoles immediately below the tepals; capsules 1-locular, placentation basal; seeds 3.]

Juncaceae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora  leading to this family. 

	plants not aquatic, or if growing in water, most of the plant emersed; NOT [plants aquatic, floating or submerged, with floating leaves or emersed inflorescence]
	flowers not in globular heads; NOT [flowers in globular heads, the upper ones staminate, the lower ones pistillate]
	flowers in branched inflorescences; NOT [inflorescence a dense, single, cylindrical spike 8-15 cm long, 1-2.5 cm thick], NOT [flowers in spike-like racemes]
	perianth in two whorls, each of three segments
	perianth segments inconspicuous and scale-like; NOT [perianth segments conspicuous and often brightly colored], NOT [perianth of greenish sepals and petals]