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Ornamental Grasses For Shade - Luzula, The Woodrush

© Marge Talt

Woodrush Sounds Better

For a list of nifty common names for many woodrush species, scroll down until you hit Luzula.

This is another plant whose common name, woodrush, is more pleasing and easier to remember than its botanical name. The genus Luzula is one of eight genera in the family of rushes, Juncaceae.

Woodrushes are native to cold or temperate regions of Eurasia. Some, like L. hitchcockii (syn. L. glabrata ) [smooth woodrush] are found subalpine areas of southern British Columbia south to southern Oregon, and east to southwestern Alberta, Idaho, Montana, and northern Wyoming where they provide food for grizzly bears and elk.

More information about Luzula hitchcockii

Smooth woodrush also heralds of coming summer at Crater Lake National Park

Of the 80 species, I've found reference to about 15 and only two seem to be readily available in the nursery trade. The species aren't showy plants, but quietly do the job in difficult places; forming thick clumps of nice foliage with no fuss.

Luzula nivea, the snow-white or snowy wood rush, is similar to and sometimes confused with L. luzuloides, but the flowers of L. nivea are white where those of L. luzuloides are grayish-white. It differs from L. sylvatica in having softer, narrower leaves covered with fine white hair at the margins. Originating in sunny openings in mountain woods from the Pyrenees to the Alps, it does well in dry, shaded areas and makes an excellent ground cover, hardy to USDA zone 5. It spreads but is not invasive. It will grow in sun or partial shade (preferred in hot climates). Its neat, low tufts of slender, slightly hairy, evergreen leaves are topped with 18-inch (45.72 cm) panicles of flowers from late spring to summer.

Luzula sylvatica, the great wood-rush, is the one I've got. I've had a slowly expanding clump for well over ten years in my USDA zone 7 garden. The photograph is actually a bit of my plant. I didn't have one of the clump and couldn't find one on the web, so I scooped up a bit of the plant and scanned it. You can see a piece of the rhizome at the top right of the root mass. It travels via these rhizomes, putting up tufts close together. See the structure as the leaves emerge from the roots. This is typical of this genera. It forms these individual tufts which are very easy to separate and re-locate, if you want to. You do have to be a bit careful in removing dead foliage as it is really easy to pull up a whole tuft when you don't mean to.

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