Juncaceae
Luzula

Luzula johnstonii Buchenau

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 12: 79 (1890)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to E. Central & E. Tropical Africa. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the subalpine or subarctic biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Juncaceae, Susan Carter. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1966

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb to 60 cm. high, tufted, stoloniferous.
Vegetative Multiplication Stolons
Stolons up to 15 cm. long, with internodes about 1.5 cm. long.
Morphology Leaves Cataphylls
Cataphylls 1–4, 1–1.5 cm. long, purplish.
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves up to 25 cm. long, 8 mm. wide, all with blunt, hardened tips; margins, especially of young leaves, sparsely covered with long white hairs; bases purplish; sheaths up to 4 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncle with 2–4 leaves up to 15 cm. long, 6 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence taller than the leaves, many-branched, consisting of 1- and 2-sided cymes with branches up to 8 cm. long; lower bracts leaf-like, up to 3 cm. long, 3 mm. wide, margins ciliate; upper bracts about 5 mm. long, scarious, purplish with pale membranous laciniate apices; flowers solitary on pedicels up to 12 mm. long; each flower subtended by a bract and 2 bracteoles; bracts lanceolate, 2–3 mm. long, membranous with laciniate apices; bracteoles triangular, 2 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide at the base, sharply pointed, becoming laciniate, scarious with a membranous margin, dark reddish-brown.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth-segments entire, lanceolate, sharply pointed, dark reddish-brown with pale membranous margins; outer segments 3 mm. long, 1 mm. wide; inner segments 3.25 mm. long, 1 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 6; filaments linear, 1 mm. long; anthers oblong, 0.75 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary trigono-globose; style 1.5 mm. long; stigmas 2.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule subglobose, beaked, 2 mm. in diameter, purplish-brown, shiny; beak 0.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovoid, 1.25–1.5 mm. long, dull purplish-brown, distinctly tailed; tail 0.25 mm. long, yellow.
Habitat
Damp places, usually in shade in higher part of upland rain-forest and in upland moor; 2400–4200 m.
Distribution
also in Ethiopia, and the Congo Republic side of the Ruwenzori range and Virunga Mts. K3 K4 T2 U2 U3
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/185536/84272066

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0