Luzula multiflora

Photo © Carl Farmer
18 Aug 2002 Scorrybreac
(green stem is not part of plant in this pic)

Common in moorland, grassland, woods, liking more acid habitats than Field Woodrush.

Individual flowers c 2.5-3 mm long. Plant typically 20-35 cm high.

Skye ID: Has 3-10 compact flowerheads each with 8-18 flowers. Sometimes each flowerhead is stalked as in pic on left, sometimes (var congesta) the whole inflorescence is compacted to look like a single large flowerhead. Field Woodrush is similar to the uncongested version but much smaller with leaves max 4 mm wide, max 12 flowers in each of max 8 heads, and yet has larger flowers, 3-4 mm. Stunted specimens of Heath W can be told from Field W when in flower by the anthers being about as long as their filaments, instead of over twice as long.

Other features: Fruit almost spherical. Plant densely tufted.

On the left is the normal form, about to expand into a many-stalked flowerhead, and on the right is var congesta. In both these pictures the short anthers can be seen, contrasting with the long ones in the L campestris pictures.

Var Congesta again, showing the white hairs on the leaves common to all Luzula species.

Skye Flora