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- Luzula luzuloides
Luzula luzuloides — oak-forest wood rush
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Facts
Oak-forest wood rush is an occasional introduction from Europe, mostly confined to the northeastern United States. It is sometimes used as a hardy ground cover in horticulture.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forests, meadows and fields, woodlands
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- Stem shape in cross-section
- the stem is round or oval in cross-section
- Leaf blade width
- 2–6 mm
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is flat or rolled in at the edges
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescence is at the tip of the plant
- Inflorescence branching
- the inflorescence is branched
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is a capsule, with at least three seeds in it
- Fruit length
- 1.5–1.8 mm
- Leaf position on plant
- some leaf attachment points are above the midpoint of the stem
- Perianth composition
- the perianth is green or brown, with six sepal-like parts, and a leafy texture
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section
-
Flowers
- Anther color (dry)
- the anthers range in color from white to tan or yellow to yellow-brown
- Floral bristle color
- NA
- Floral bristle number
- NA
- Floral bristle relative length
- NA
- Floral bristles
- NA
- Floral scale hairs
- NA
- Floral scale length
- 0 mm
- Floral scale nerves
- NA
- Flower number per cluster
-
- 2-5
- 5-20
- Inflorescence bract angle
- the bracts are vertical or angled only slightly outwards
- Inflorescence bract number
- there are two to five bracts per inflorescence
- Inflorescence bract position (Sparganium)
- NA
- Inflorescence bracts
- there are at least two bracts, and they are either flat or folded or rolled in at the edges
- Inflorescence branching
- the inflorescence is branched
- Inflorescence crowding
- the inflorescence is at least somewhat spread out, with at least one branch coming from the main stem
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescence is at the tip of the plant
- Inflorescence shape
- the aggregations within the inflorescence are roughly circular (not flattened) in cross-section
- Inflorescence type
- there are two or more flowers, spikes or flower clusters on a branched inflorescence
- Perianth composition
- the perianth is green or brown, with six sepal-like parts, and a leafy texture
- Stamen number
- 4-6
- Stigma number
- 3
- Style division
- the top two thirds of the style is divided
- floral bristle barbs
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene beak length
- 0 mm
- Achene surface texture
- NA
- Achene tubercle relative width
- NA
- Achene tubercle width
- 0 mm
- Capsule relative length
- the capsule is about equal to the perianth
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 1.5–1.8 mm
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is a capsule, with at least three seeds in it
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
- Locules in capsule
- the capsule has one locule
- Seed length
- 0.8–1.1 mm
- Seed tail relative length
- 1–1.3 mm
- Seed tails
- the seeds have tail-like projections
- Tubercle height
- 0 mm
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Rhizome thickness
- 1–1.5 mm
- Underground organs
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Auricle length
- 0 mm
- Auricle texture
- NA
- Auricles
- there are no auricles on the leaf sheath
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is flat or rolled in at the edges
- Leaf blade length
- 150–300 mm
- Leaf blade width
- 2–6 mm
- Leaf form
- all the leaves hold their form out of water
- Leaf position on plant
- some leaf attachment points are above the midpoint of the stem
- Leaf septa
- the leaf blades do not have transverse septa
- Leaf sheath hairs
- the leaf sheathes have hairs on them
- Pedicel length (Typha)
- 0 mm
- Stem leaf blade ligules
- there are no ligules at the leaf blade bases
- Stem leaf blades
- there are fully-developed leaves with leaf blades on the main stem
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- woodlands
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 45–70 cm
- Stem shape in cross-section
- the stem is round or oval in cross-section
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
Subspecies and varieties
Our subspecies is Luzula luzuloides (Lam.) Dandy & Wilmott ssp. luzuloides.
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
6. Luzula luzuloides (Lam.) Dandy & Wilmott ssp. luzuloides E
oak-forest wood rush. Juncoides nemorosum (Pollard) Kuntze • CT, MA, ME, VT. Forests, woodlands, fields, roadsides.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Luzula parviflora:
- flowers solitary or paired and anthers equaling or shorter than the associated filaments (vs. L. luzuloides, with flowers in glomerules of 3-8 and anthers much longer than the associated filaments).
Synonyms
- Juncoides nemorosum (Pollard) Kuntze