Luzula acuminata Raf.

Hairy wood rush

Hairy woodrush is native to eastern North America.

Plants: Rushes are 2–19″ (6–47 cm) tall. Green leaf stalks darken to yellowish or dark brown.

Leaves: Basal leaves, resembling grass blades, are 2–15″ long ⨉ 1/16–⅜″ wide (6–38 cm ⨉ 2–12 mm). A few stem leaves are ⅞–4½″ long ⨉ 1/16–⅛″ wide (2.5–11 cm ⨉ 2–5 mm). Leaves are linear, with thin, long white hairs, especially at leaf axils.

Flowers: Terminal clusters of 5-22 flowers poke out from the culm tip. Each thin pedicel, up to 1″ (2.5 cm) long, typically contains a single flower. Initially more or less upright, some flowers flop to the sides, producing an uneven tumble. Each flower has six yellow-green to brownish tepals 1/16–⅛″ (3–4.5 mm) long, with sharp tips; and six stamens with large anthers; and three-parted stigmas. Flowers appear from May to June.

Fruits: Ovoid capsules are 1/16–⅛″ (2.7–4.2 mm) long, green to straw-colored, with three seeds.

Habitats: Mesic to dry forests, in deciduous woodlands, mixed deciduous-evergreen wood­lands, wooded bluffs, ravines, or forest clearings.

Online References:

Luzula acuminata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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