Field_wood-rush

<i>Luzula campestris</i>

Luzula campestris

Species of flowering plant in the rush family Juncaceae

Luzula campestris, commonly known as field wood-rush or Good Friday grass is a flowering plant in the rush family Juncaceae.[1] It is also one of the plants known as chimney sweeps[2] or sweep's broom[3] because of the brush-like appearance of their flowers.[4] This is a very common plant throughout temperate Europe extending to the Caucasus. This species of Luzula is found on all types of native grasslands, and cultivated areas such as lawns, golf-course greens and fields.

Quick Facts Luzula campestris, Scientific classification ...

Description

Inflorescence

Luzula campestris is relatively short, between 5 and 15 cm (2 and 6 in) tall. It spreads via short stolons and also via seed produced in one stemless cluster of flowers together with three to six stemmed clusters of flowers. It is a perennial.[1]

It flowers between March and June in the northern temperate zone (September to December in the southern hemisphere). The diploid chromosome number 2n is 12.[1]: 987 

Luzula campestris

It prefers an acidic soil, and when considered a weed in cultivated grass such as lawns, its presence can be readily reduced by decreasing acidity, specifically by removing any accumulation of dead grass material.[5]

Distribution

The native range of Luzula campestris is temperate Europe, extending to North Africa in the south, to the Caucasus in the east and has a northern limit in Scandinavia.[6]

Luzula campestris has been introduced worldwide outside its native range into suitable habitats in the southern hemisphere.[7]

The closely related Luzula multiflora is native in much of North America, and is a distinct species in the Flora of North America.[8] Some botanists treat it as a variety, Luzula campestris var. multiflora.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luzula campestris.
  1. [1]
    Stace, C. A. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles (Fourth ed.). Middlewood Green, Suffolk, U.K.: C & M Floristics. ISBN 978-1-5272-2630-2.
  2. [2]
    "Field Wood-rush - Luzula campestris". NatureSpot. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  3. [3]
    "Field wood-rush". The Wildlife Trusts. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  4. [4]
    Grigson, Geoffery (1975). The Englishman's Flora. Paladin. p. 542. ISBN 978-0586082096.
  5. [5]
    "Woodrush in lawns". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  6. [6]
    "Luzula campestris (L.) DC". Kew Plants of the World On-line. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  7. [7]
    "Global Invasive Species Database, Luzula campestris".
  8. [8]
    "Luzula multiflora in Flora of North America @ efloras.org".


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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Field_wood-rush, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.