Habit: Perennial herb, cespitose or rhizomatous, rhizome ascending or vertical.
Stem: cylindric.
Leaf: generally basal, cauline few; blades linear, flat or channeled, margins and sheath opening, sparsely to densely long-soft-hairy.
Inflorescence: panicles of 1--few flowers per branch, or head-like and cylindric to ovoid in dense to loose clusters; lower bract leaf-like or herbaceous at base, membranous distally, bractlets 1--3, margins generally ciliate.
Flower: perianth parts 6, pale brown to +- black-brown; stamens 6; pistil 1, chamber 1, placenta basal.
Fruit: capsule, opening with 3 valves.
Seed: 3, elliptic to ovoid, ridged on 1 side, occasionally attached to placenta by tuft of hairs, generally with +- white appendage at tip.
Species In Genus: +- 115 species: worldwide.
Etymology: (Latin: light; Italian: glow worm)
Note: Measure unridged side of seeds; seed length measurement not including appendage.
Jepson eFlora Author: Jan Kirschner
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)Key to Luzula
Previous taxon: Juncus xiphioidesNext taxon: Luzula comosa