Luzula kjellmaniana
Luzula
tundra woodrush
hairy wood rush, wood rush
loosely cespitose, light green, 15–25 cm.
round.
absent.
sheaths dull brown-gray at base, becoming green distally, throats hairless;
basal leaves flat toward base, channeled toward apex, 4–16 cm × 3–8 mm, apex abruptly pointed, callous, glabrous.
sheaths closed, without auricles at throat (junction with blade), usually pilose;
blade flat or channeled, never septate, margins with long, soft, multicellular hairs, apex often thickened (callous), veins commonly indistinct.
asymmetric in appearance;
glomerules (1–)2–5, central glomerules sessile or nearly sessile, 3–9 × 2.5–6 mm;
capillary branches 2–8, arched in 1 direction, to 3.5 cm;
proximal inflorescence bract bladeless.
terminal;
flowers inserted individually or in dense clusters (glomerules) variously arranged;
bracts subtending inflorescence (proximal inflorescence bracts) 2, mostly leaflike;
bracts subtending inflorescence branches 1–2, reduced;
bracteoles subtending flowers 2–3.
tepals brownish translucent (apex lacerate to entire), 2–3 mm, apex lacerate to entire;
anthers equal to or exceeding filaments.
tepals 6, in 2 whorls;
stamens 6.
light chestnut brown, broadly 3-angled, shorter than tepals.
1-locular, generally globose;
beak often formed by persistent style base.
most failing to mature, brown (with few hairs present), 3-angled, 0.9–1.1 mm, few hairs present;
caruncle barely visible.
3, globose to ovoid, base often with tuft of fibrous hairs (vestige of funiculus);
nutritive appendage from outer seed coat (caruncle) often present, white, barely visible to ± equaling seed body.
= 6.
= 36.
Luzula kjellmaniana
Luzula
Luzula kjellmaniana has light green culms, sheath throats essentially without hairs, and glabrous basal leaves that are flat toward the base and channeled toward the apex (the apex is abruptly pointed). Most seeds fail to mature.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
The leaves of Luzula are primarily basal; cauline leaves are usually reduced.
Luzula species have diffuse centromeres and small chromosomes. That has resulted in much confusion in interpretation and reporting of chromosome counts. No attempt has been made to include reported counts that could not reasonably be verified by the author.
Excluded species: Luzula sudetica (Willdenow) de Candolle. Although reports of this European species appear frequently in the North American literature, I have seen no specimens that confirm its presence. No chromosome counts are published for North American material. Since this species has a distinct cytotype, 2n = 48 (H. Nordenskiöld 1956), it should not be difficult to verify on this basis.
Species ca. 108 (23 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Flowers in dense clusters (glomerules); inflorescences spikelike or umbellate; seeds with caruncle conspicuous to barely visible | subg. Luzula |
1. Flowers solitary or in small clusters of 2–4; inflorescences mostly unbranched or dichasial; seeds with caruncle conspicuous to absent. | → 2 |
2. Flowers solitary; inflorescences corymbose, rarely branching; seeds with caruncle conspicuous | subg. Pterodes |
2. Flowers mostly in pairs, rarely in clusters of 3–4, or solitary; inflorescences paniculate or dichasial; seeds with caruncle inconspicuous or absent | subg. Anthelaea |
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