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.
| Luzula campestris | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Juncaceae |
| Genus: | Luzula |
| Species: | L. campestris
|
| Binomial name | |
| Luzula campestris | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Juncus campestris L. | |
Description
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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
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
editThe 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
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- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ "Field Wood-rush - Luzula campestris". NatureSpot. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "Field wood-rush". The Wildlife Trusts. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ Grigson, Geoffery (1975). The Englishman's Flora. Paladin. p. 542. ISBN 978-0586082096.
- ^ "Woodrush in lawns". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "Luzula campestris (L.) DC". Kew Plants of the World On-line. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "Global Invasive Species Database, Luzula campestris".
- ^ "Luzula multiflora in Flora of North America @ efloras.org".
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