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Wahlenberg's wood rush

arctic wood rush

Rhizomes

short.

Culms

cespitose, 15–30(–35) cm.

densely cespitose, 5-20 cm.

Leaves

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.

sheaths brown to straw-colored;

basal leaves to 10 cm × 4 mm;

cauline leaves usually 2, reduced.

Inflorescences

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.

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

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.

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

anthers ± equaling filament length.

Capsules

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

beak absent.

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

Seeds

dark reddish brown, cylindric, 1.2–1.6 mm;

caruncle essentially absent.

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

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Luzula wahlenbergii

Luzula arctica

Phenology Flowering and fruiting late summer. Flowering and fruiting summer.
Habitat Wet mossy arctic and alpine tundra, lake shores, alluvial rivers, shores of alpine creeks, gneissic seashores Wet, stony places on slopes and in dwarf shrub heaths in alpine and arctic tundra; circumpolar.
Elevation 40–600 m (100–2000 ft) 0-1200 m (0-3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; BC; MB; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; LB; MB; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22, p. 263.
Parent taxa Juncaceae > Luzula > subg. Anthelaea 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. kjellmaniana, L. luzuloides, L. multiflora, L. orestera, L. pallidula, L. parviflora, L. piperi, L. rufescens, L. spicata, L. subcapitata, L. subcongesta
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. nivalis
Name authority Ruprecht: Fl. Samojed. Cisural. 58. (1845) Blytt: in M. N. Blytt and A. G. Blytt, Norges Flora 1: 299. (1861)
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