Luzula multiflora (Ehrh.) Lej.
Common woodrush, heath wood-rush
Common woodrush is either circumboreal—native to northern areas of the world—or an introduced species here in North America. The jury is still out. It prefers open woodlands and grassy area, and disturbed soils.
Plants: 4–16″ (10–40 cm) in height. Very long white hairs are present on the stem and leaves. Up close, it looks almost as if the plant was swept through a spider web. Stems are round.
Leaves: Grasslike basal leaves are 1¼–4½ ⨉ 1/16–⅛″ (3.5–12 cm ⨉ 2–6 mm), with untoothed edges. Stressed leaves are reddish.
Flowers: Six brown-to-black tepals 1/16–⅛″ (2–4 mm) long. They appear on nearly hairless stalks of 3-16 spikes, each with 8-16 ¼″ (6.3 mm) flowers.
Fruits: 3-lobed, oval to round capsules ~1/16″ (1.9–2.6 mm), containing three or more seeds.
Habitats: Open woodlands and grassy area, and disturbed soils.
Online References:
References:
5/17/2024 · Robert P. Tristam Coffin Wildflower Preserve, Woolwich, Maine · ≈ 3 × 3″ (7.9 × 8.4 cm) 
1/5/2026 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 
6/19/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
5/31/2016 · J. Harry Rich State Forest, Pepperell, Massachusetts 
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine 
5/12/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire 
6/3/2014 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 8″ (14 × 20 cm) 
1/5/2026 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 
5/12/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Commelinidae | Dayflowers and spiderworts, and several others |
| Order | Juncales | Rushes, sedges, and other grasslike plants |
| Family | Juncaceae | Rush family |
| Genus | Luzula | Possibly from the Italian lucciola, “firefly or glowworm,” from the shining inflorescence |
| Species | multiflora | Many-flowered |
Luzula multiflora description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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