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tundra woodrush

Wahlenberg's wood rush

Rhizomes

short.

Culms

loosely cespitose, light green, 15–25 cm.

cespitose, 15–30(–35) 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.

sheath throat acutely angled, pilose;

basal leaf blade 5–10 cm × 3–8 mm, apex short acuminate, mostly glabrous;

cauline leaves (1–)2–4, 3–5 cm × 2–4 mm.

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.

anthelate, few flowered;

main branches generally 2–4, spreading less than 90°, lax, usually arching;

proximal inflorescence bract 1 cm or less;

bracts and bracteoles brown;

margins with long curly cilia.

Flowers

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

anthers equal to or exceeding filaments.

solitary on short pedicels;

tepals dark purplish brown (margins finely lacerate toward apex), 2–2.5 mm, margins finely lacerate toward apex, apex acute, not reflexed;

anthers ± equaling filament length;

stigmas 2 times style length.

Capsules

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

dark brown, less than 2.5 mm, slightly longer than tepals;

beak absent.

Seeds

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

caruncle barely visible.

dark reddish brown, cylindric, 1.2–1.6 mm;

caruncle essentially absent.

2n

= 36.

= 24.

Luzula kjellmaniana

Luzula wahlenbergii

Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer. Flowering and fruiting late summer.
Habitat Tundra Wet mossy arctic and alpine tundra, lake shores, alluvial rivers, shores of alpine creeks, gneissic seashores
Elevation 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft) 40–600 m (100–2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; BC; NT; YT; ne Asia
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; MB; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
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.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Luzula > subg. Luzula Juncaceae > Luzula > subg. Anthelaea
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. arctica, 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
Synonyms L. beeringiana, L. multiflora subsp. kjellmanniana, L. nivalis var. latifolia, L.uzula tundricola
Name authority Miyabe & Kudo: Transactions of the Sapporo Natural History Society 5: 38. (1913) Ruprecht: Fl. Samojed. Cisural. 58. (1845)
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