Leaves basal or occasionally 1 or 2 cauline, flat or channelled; margins moderately to densely white-villous, mostly minutely papillose, sometimes nearly glabrous except for fringe of long white hairs near base of blade; auricles absent. Lowest 1–4 involucral bracts leaf-like.
Flowers bisexual, clustered ± densely, each with 1 papery bract and 2 papery bracteoles. Tepals subequal in length. Stamens 6[–3]. Ovary 1-locular.
Capsule smooth, or minutely papillose near apex, shining; seeds 3, with a white basal, ± fleshy outgrowth (caruncle).
Some specimens may be infected by a fungus that causes elongation of flowers and darkening of the tepals. The key and descriptions do not cover such individuals.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Inflorescence of several obviously pedunculate flower clusters or with only shortly pedunculate clusters | 2 |
| Inflorescence a single ovate or globose head, or an oblong head with a few subsessile lower clusters | 8 |
| 2 | Anthers 0.7–1.6 mm long | 3 |
| Anthers 0.2–0.6 mm long
Back to 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Shoots with more or less bulbous base; peduncles to 6 cm long; tepals either pale red-brown with more or less broad creamy to hyaline margins or red-brown to dark brown, without conspicuously paler margins | 4 |
| Shoots without bulbous base; peduncles to 3 cm long; tepals red-brown to dark brown with a narrow but conspicuous, or broad, hyaline to creamy margin
Back to 2 | 5 |
| 4 | Tepals red-brown to dark brown, without conspicuously paler margins; flowers 2.6–3.5 mm long | Luzula meridionalis |
| Tepals pale red-brown, with more or less broad creamy to hyaline margins; flowers usually 1.6–2.5 mm long
Back to 3 | Luzula densiflora |
| 5 | Leaves moderately hairy; mature capsule usually pale yellow-brown (rarely red-brown at apex) | Luzula flaccida |
| Leaves almost glabrous except near base; mature capsule usually dark red-brown
Back to 3 | Luzula novae-cambriae |
| 6 | Shoots without bulbous bases; mature capsule usually pale yellow-brown, rarely red-brown near apex | Luzula flaccida |
| Shoots with mostly bulbous bases; mature capsule red-brown or purple-brown throughout or red-brown above
Back to 2 | 7 |
| 7 | Tepals all acuminate; mature capsule red-brown or purple-brown throughout; inflorescence of a central cluster with 2 or 3 smaller lateral clusters | Luzula ovata |
| Outer tepals acuminate, inner acute; mature capsule red-brown above and yellow-brown below, rarely red-brown throughout; inflorescence of more than 3 clusters
Back to 6 | Luzula densiflora |
| 8 | Inflorescence red-brown or creamy brown; tepals with conspicuous pale brown or creamy to white membranous margins | 9 |
| Inflorescence blackish; tepals without conspicuous paler margins
Back to 1 | 14 |
| 9 | Plants long-rhizomatous; inflorescence oblong in outline | Luzula modesta |
| Plants more or less tufted; inflorescence ovate or circular in outline
Back to 8 | 10 |
| 10 | Leaves more or less channelled; caruncle a tenth to an eighth the length of seed | 11 |
| Leaves flat; caruncle a third to a quarter the length of seed
Back to 9 | 12 |
| 11 | Leaves 3–5 mm wide; anthers 1.1–1.5 mm long | Luzula australasica |
| Leaves 1–2 mm wide; anthers 0.4–0.6 mm long
Back to 10 | Luzula alpestris |
| 12 | Shoots without bulbous bases; mature capsule usually pale yellow-brown (rarely reddish at apex) | Luzula flaccida |
| Shoots with mostly bulbous bases; mature capsule red-brown or purple-brown throughout, or red-brown above
Back to 10 | 13 |
| 13 | Tepals all acuminate; mature capsule red-brown or purple-brown throughout | Luzula ovata |
| Outer tepals acuminate, inner acute; mature capsule red-brown above and yellow-brown below, rarely red-brown throughout
Back to 12 | Luzula densiflora |
| 14 | Slender tufted plants; flowering culms usually more than 10 cm long; leaf apex obtuse | Luzula atrata |
| Dwarf mat-forming plants; flowering culms less than 8 cm long; leaf apex acute
Back to 8 | Luzula acutifolia |
