Luzula subcongesta

Rhizomes horizontal, stout. Culms 15--48 cm. Leaves: basal leaf sheaths bluish green; basal leaves bluish green, abruptly tapered, less than 19 cm x 3--5 mm, apex long. Inflorescences with glomerules crowded at ends of uneven peduncles; glomerules each with 3--12 flowers, central glomerules sessile or nearly sessile; peduncles arching in all directions; proximal inflorescence bract inconspicuous, 2--3 cm; bracteoles clear, margins ciliate. Flowers: tepals pale to dark brown (apex acute), 1.5--2 mm, apex acute; anthers ± equaling filament length. Capsules pale to dark brown-purple, shorter than tepals; (beak short). Seeds brown, oblong-ovoid, 1.1--1.2 mm; caruncle absent. 2n = 24.

Flowering and fruiting summer. Alpine to subalpine moist or wet places; 2000--3500 m; Calif., Oreg.

Luzula subcongesta has bluish green basal leaves, tapered abruptly to the long apex.

OTHER REFERENCES Boivin, B. 19672--1979. Flora of the prairie provinces. Part I(--IV). Monopsida. Phytologia 42(5): 385--414.15--18, 22--23, 42--43: passim. Hämet-Ahti, L. 1986. North American races of Juncus alpinoarticulatus. Ann. Bot. Fenn. 23: 277--281. Hämet-Ahti, L. and V. Virrankoski. 1971. Cytotaxonomic notes on some monocotyledons of Alaska and northern British Columbia. Ann. Bot. Fenn. 8: 156--159. Harriman, N. A. and D. Redmond. 1976. Somatic chromosome numbers for some North American species of Juncus L. Rhodora 78: 727--738. Holmen, K. and H. Mathiesen. 1953. Luzula wahlenbergii in Greenland. Bot. Tidsskr. 49: 233--238. Jørgensen, C. A., T. JH. Sørensen, and M. Westergaard. 1958. The flowering plants of Greenland: A taxonomical and cytological survey. Biol. Skr. 9(4): 1--172. Lindquist, B. 1932. Taxonomical remarks on Juncus alpinus Villars and some related species. Bot. Not. 1932: 313--372. Löve, Á. and D. Löve. 1966. Cytotaxonomy of the alpine vascular plants of Mount Washington. University of Colorado Stud. Ser. Biol. 24: 1--74. Murray, N. A. and D. M. Johnson. 1987. Taxonomic notes on Juncus pelocarpus s.l. Contr. Univ. Michigan Herb. 16: 179--187. Nordenskiöld, H. 1951. Cyto-taxonomical studies in the genus Luzula. I. Somatic chromosomes and chromosome numbers. Hereditas (Lund) 37: 325--355. Packher, J. G. 1964. Chromosome numbers and taxonomic notes on western Canadian and Arctic plants. Canad. J. Bot. 42: 473--494.