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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Small-flower Woodrush
Luzala parviflora (Ehrh.) Desv.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Rush (Juncaceae)
Flowering: June-August
Field Marks: This is the only Luzala in North America with flowers borne singly in a much branched inflorescence.
Habitat: Moist woods, rarely in open habitats.
Habit: Perennial herb with scaly stolons.
Stems: Upright, up to 2 feet tall, smooth, slender.
Leaves: Elongated, narrow, up to 8 inches long, up to 1/2 inch wide smooth except for long hairs at the top of the sheath, the tips of the leaves rolled into a hardened point.
Flowers: Borne singly at the tip of each branch, the branches numerous, the entire inflorescence up to 6 inches long, each flower subtended by 1 or more bracts.
Sepals: 3, usually straw-colored.
Petals: 3, usually straw-colored.
Stamens: 6.
Pistils: Ovary superior; stigmas 3.
Fruits: Capsules rusty-colored to blackish, ovoid, with a persistent style; seeds elliptic, shiny, about 1/20 inch long.
Notes: The much branched inflorescence is unlike that found in other woodrushes.

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