E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Luzula spicata subsp. spicata (L.) DC.
Juncaceae (Rush family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Adolf Ceska  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #5796)

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Distribution of Luzula spicata subsp. spicata
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial, densely tufted herb from fibrous roots; stems 10-35 cm tall.
Leaves:
Narrow, channeled, sparsely fringed with fine hairs, about 5-15 cm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, with sharp tips; sheaths brown to purplish.
Flowers:
Inflorescence solitary, dense, spike-like, drooping, with 5 to 10 clusters, each cluster with 3 to 6 flowers; perianth segments brown with paler tips, 2-3 mm long, lanceolate, tapering into long awns, the inner about the same length as the outer; stamens 6; anthers 0.4-0.6 mm long, about the same length as the filaments; bracts bristlelike, reduced.
Fruits:
Capsules, ellipsoid, pointed, shorter than the perianth segments; seeds egg-shaped, 0.9-1.1 mm long, with minute appendages.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry rocky slopes in the subalpine and alpine zones; frequent throughout BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, disjunct E to MB, PQ and NF and S to ME, NH, VT, NY, NM, AZ and CA; Eurasia, Greenland.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

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General References