Luzula spicata
Encyclopedia
Luzula spicata is a species of flowering plant in the rush family
known by the common name spiked woodrush. It has a circumpolar
distribution, occurring throughout the northern Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, and North America. It grows in subalpine
and alpine climate
s. It occurs at low elevations in colder regions, such as tundra
; farther south it is restricted mainly to high mountains. It is a perennial
herb forming grasslike clumps of several erect, reddish stems up to about 33 centimeters in maximum height. The stem is thick and its base is buried several centimeters in the soil where it attaches to the roots. The inflorescence
is an array of several clusters of brown bristle-tipped flowers. The surrounding bract
s and the sheaths surrounding the leaf bases are lined with hairs.
Juncaceae
Juncaceae, the rush family, are a monocotyledonous family of flowering plants. There are eight genera and about 400 species. Members of the Juncaceae are slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous plants, and they may superficially resemble grasses. They often grow on infertile soils in a wide range...
known by the common name spiked woodrush. It has a circumpolar
Circumpolar
The term circumpolar may refer to:* circumpolar navigation: to travel the world "vertically" traversing both of the poles* Antarctic region** Antarctic Circle** the Antarctic Circumpolar Current** Subantarctic** List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands...
distribution, occurring throughout the northern Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, and North America. It grows in subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
and alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
s. It occurs at low elevations in colder regions, such as tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
; farther south it is restricted mainly to high mountains. It is a perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
herb forming grasslike clumps of several erect, reddish stems up to about 33 centimeters in maximum height. The stem is thick and its base is buried several centimeters in the soil where it attaches to the roots. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is an array of several clusters of brown bristle-tipped flowers. The surrounding bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s and the sheaths surrounding the leaf bases are lined with hairs.