Wahlenberg's Wood Rush

Rhizomes short. Culms cespitose, 15--30(--35) cm. Leaves: sheath throat acutely angled, pilose; basal leaf blade 5--10 cm x 3--8 mm, apex short acuminate, mostly glabrous; cauline leaves (1--)2--4, 3--5 cm x 2--4 mm. Inflorescences anthelate, few flowered; main branches generally 2--4, spreading less than 90°, lax, usually arching; proximal inflorescence bract 1 cm or less; bracts and bracteoles brown; margins with long curly cilia. Flowers solitary on short pedicels; tepals dark purplish brown (margins finely lacerate toward apex), 2--2.5 mm, margins finely lacerate toward apex, apex acute, not reflexed; anthers ± equaling filament length; stigmas 2 times style length. Capsules dark brown, less than 2.5 mm, slightly longer than tepals; beak absent. Seeds dark reddish brown, cylindric, 1.2--1.6 mm; caruncle essentially absent. 2n = 24.

Plants tufted, 7--25 cm tall. Stems terete, striate. Basal leaf blade linear-lanceolate to linear, 4--12 cm × 2--4 mm, margin sparsely hairy. Cauline leaves 1--3; leaf blade 2--9 cm. Inflorescence terminal or occasionally axillary, a compound cyme, 10--30-flowered; basal bract 0.5--1.5 cm. Flowers solitary or in clusters of 2 or 3; pedicel short; bracteoles brown, broadly ovate, margin densely ciliate. Perianth segments lanceolate, 2--2.5 × 0.8--1 mm, subequal, apex acute. Stamens 6; anthers subequaling filaments. Style ca. 0.6 mm; stigmas ca. 1 mm. Capsule chestnut brown, trigonous ovoid, 2--2.5 mm. Seeds dark reddish brown, oblong, 1.2--1.4 mm; appendage basal, fibrous. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Jul--Aug. 2 n = 24, 36.

Greenland; B.C., Man., N.W.T., Nunavut, Que., Yukon; Alaska; Eurasia.

Jilin [Japan, Korea; Europe, North America].

Flowering and fruiting late summer.

Wet mossy arctic and alpine tundra, lake shores, alluvial rivers, shores of alpine creeks, gneissic seashores; 40--600m.

Disturbed areas on slopes; 2400--2700 m.