''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 Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, and North America. It grows in
subalpine and
alpine climate
Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate.
Definition
There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...
s. It occurs at low elevations in colder regions, such as
tundra
In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...
; further south it is restricted mainly to high mountains. It is a
perennial
In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
herb forming grasslike clumps of several upright, 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
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
is an array of several clusters of brown bristle-tipped flowers. The surrounding
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
s and the sheaths encircling the leaf bases are lined with hairs.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
spicata
Flora of Northern America
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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