The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

tundra woodrush

arctic wood rush

Culms

loosely cespitose, light green, 15–25 cm.

densely cespitose, 5-20 cm.

Leaves

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 brown to straw-colored;

basal leaves to 10 cm × 4 mm;

cauline leaves usually 2, reduced.

Inflorescences

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.

glomerules 1-3, sessile;

proximal inflorescence bract inconspicuous, brown, much shorter to ± equaling inflorescence, apex often clear, dentate;

bracts deep brown, margins dentate;

bracteoles deep brown, margins dentate.

Flowers

tepals brownish translucent (apex lacerate to entire), 2–3 mm, apex lacerate to entire;

anthers equal to or exceeding filaments.

tepals deep brown with narrow clear margins and apex, 1.7-2.1 mm;

anthers ± equaling filament length.

Capsules

light chestnut brown, broadly 3-angled, shorter than tepals.

dark reddish to blackish, shining, spheric, 1.8-2.1 mm, usually exceeding tepals.

Seeds

most failing to mature, brown (with few hairs present), 3-angled, 0.9–1.1 mm, few hairs present;

caruncle barely visible.

translucent, clear brown, broadly elliptic, with few entangled hairs, 1-1.2 mm.

2n

= 36.

= 24.

Luzula kjellmaniana

Luzula arctica

Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer. Flowering and fruiting summer.
Habitat Tundra Wet, stony places on slopes and in dwarf shrub heaths in alpine and arctic tundra; circumpolar.
Elevation 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft) 0-1200 m (0-3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; BC; NT; YT; ne Asia
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; LB; MB; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
Discussion

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.)

Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22, p. 263.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Luzula > subg. Luzula Juncaceae > Luzula > subg. Luzula
Sibling taxa
L. acuminata, L. arctica, L. arcuata, L. bulbosa, L. campestris, L. comosa, L. confusa, L. divaricata, L. echinata, L. groenlandica, L. hitchcockii, L. luzuloides, L. multiflora, L. orestera, L. pallidula, L. parviflora, L. piperi, L. rufescens, L. spicata, L. subcapitata, L. subcongesta, L. wahlenbergii
L. acuminata, L. arcuata, L. bulbosa, L. campestris, L. comosa, L. confusa, L. divaricata, L. echinata, L. groenlandica, L. hitchcockii, L. kjellmaniana, L. luzuloides, L. multiflora, L. orestera, L. pallidula, L. parviflora, L. piperi, L. rufescens, L. spicata, L. subcapitata, L. subcongesta, L. wahlenbergii
Synonyms L. beeringiana, L. multiflora subsp. kjellmanniana, L. nivalis var. latifolia, L.uzula tundricola L. nivalis
Name authority Miyabe & Kudo: Transactions of the Sapporo Natural History Society 5: 38. (1913) Blytt: in M. N. Blytt and A. G. Blytt, Norges Flora 1: 299. (1861)
Web links