Luzula nivea

Snow White Wood-rush ( Luzula nivea )

The Snow White Wood-rush ( Luzula nivea ) or snow - wood rush is a member of the family Rushes ( Juncaceae ) associated with grass -like plant. The region often referred to as Schneemarbel wood rush is characterized by its snow-white petals.

Distribution and location

The Snow White Wood-rush is a European species and is found mainly in the Southern Alps, in the eastern Pyrenees, the Apennines and in eastern France.

It grows in species-poor beech and oak -beech forests, sometimes in mixed coniferous forest companies. She is the Kennart the plant community ( association ) of the Luzulo - beech forest or of the phytosociological association of European beech forests ( Fagion ). It also comes in oak-birch forests ( Quercion robori - petraeae ), oak -hornbeam forests ( Carpinion betuli ) and fir - spruce forests ( Vaccinio - Abietenion ) ago. The penumbral shadow to plant prefers moderately fresh, base -rich, lime-free, neutral to moderately acidic, humus-rich loamy moldy.

Description

The plant is a perennial, streamers driving Hemikryptophyt with lockerrasigem growth. It reaches heights of growth 10 to 30 centimeters. The stems grow upright. The grass- green leaves are 4 millimeters wide and about 30 inches long. You are ciliated at the edge and on the surface long. The leaf sheaths are closed and also hairy on the vaginal mouth long.

The terminal inflorescence is a Spirre with densely packed, upright twigs. The inflorescence is always dominated by at least a supporting sheet. The individual flowers are large and stand six to 20 in groups. The petals ( perianth ) are snow-white, 4-6 mm long, lanceolate pointed. The outer ones are much shorter. The stylus is much longer than the ovary. The fruit shape is a unicompartmental brown capsule. She is wearing a short top and is much shorter than the petals. The seeds carry fatty appendage ( elaiosomes ), by ants for the sole purpose of dissemination ( myrmecochory ). The Snow White Wood-rush blooms in the period from June to August.

Others

The wood rush is cultivated as an ornamental plant mainly in shade gardens. The decorative flower heads are suitable for dry bouquets.