''Luzula sylvatica'', commonly known as greater wood-rush
or great wood-rush, is a
perennial in the rush family
Juncaceae.
Description
''Luzula sylvatica'' is the largest
woodrush
''Luzula'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rush family Juncaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring throughout the world, especially in temperate regions, the Arctic, and higher elevation areas in the tropic ...
,
with stems high.
It forms clumps of bright green leaves which are glossy,
flat, linear,
about in length and wide;
its leaves remain green or at least greenish throughout winter.
The leaves can also help to differentiate the plant from similar-looking plants in the closely related genus ''
Juncus'', as scattered white hairs can be found along the leaf edges.
Its
tepals are , with
flowers which grow in groups of 3 or 4.
From mid-spring to summer,
It produces flowers in open
panicles
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are o ...
which are very small,
chestnut-brown in colour
and can be found in dense and
lax
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
clusters.
It is sometimes
stoloniferous
In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external ...
.
''Luzula sylvatica'' is both
anemophilous and
entomophilous, in that it can be
pollinated by either
wind or
insect.
''L. sylvaticas
fruit is a 3-valved
capsule containing three oblong
seeds
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm pl ...
.
Each seed is indistinctly
reticulate, often with a
caruncle (a
basal
Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''.
Science
* Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure
* Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...
or
apical appendage);
seeds tend to germinate close to their parent plant.
Taxonomy and naming
With regard to the
etymology of the binomial, ''Luzula'' could come from the
Italian ''
lucciola'' ("to shine, sparkle") or the
Latin ''
luzulae'' or ''
luxulae'', from ''
lux
The lux (symbol: lx) is the unit of illuminance, or luminous flux per unit area, in the International System of Units (SI). It is equal to one lumen per square metre. In photometry, this is used as a measure of the intensity, as perceived by the ...
'' ("light"), inspired by the way the plants sparkle when wet with
dew
Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation.
As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that at whi ...
;
whilst ''sylvatica'' comes from
silva,
Latin for forest.
Distribution and habitat
''Luzula sylvatica'' has a wide distribution, and is native to
Europe (the European
temperate element of flora
) and
southwest Asia - including the
British Isles where populations are widespread and stable, apart from a decline in
central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
south east
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
England.
There is one record from
Washington state, United States.
Usually growing in partial to full shade,
''Luzula sylvatica'' tends to grow on
acidic soils in damp habitats.
It can be found on
stream banks
In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows.
In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrai ...
and well-drained, open
woodland,
as well as in open ground and rock ledges
and
peaty
heath moors.
Despite its preference for acidic soils, it can tolerate most soil
pH levels.
Ecology
The leaves of ''Luzula sylvatica'' are picked in winter by
golden eagles to line their
eyries.
The flowers and seeds are also the sole food source for the larvae of the ''
Coleophora sylvaticella
''Coleophora sylvaticella'' is a moth of the family Coleophoridae found in Europe.
Description
The wingspan is . ''Coleophora'' species have narrow blunt to pointed forewings and a weakly defined tornus. The hindwings are narrow-elongate and ver ...
'' moth.
Cultivation
''Luzula sylvatica'' is commonly used in
horticulture — its thick, patch-forming habit (which allows the plant to act as a
weed suppressant),
hardiness,
as well as the ability to grow in shade and damp soils
being particular boons; it is commonly used for
ground cover and/or as an
ornamental grass.
The cultivar ‘Marginata’ has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society’s
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q162491
sylvatica
Flora of Europe
Flora of Western Asia
Plants described in 1762
Garden plants of Asia
Garden plants of Europe