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Carex laxiculmis - (image 1 of 3)

Taxonomy

Family: Cyperaceae

Section Careyanae    

Habitat

Moist or wet, often calcareous woods on clay soils.

Associates

Distribution

Southern ME to MI, south to WI and southern IA, south to NC, northern GA, northern AL, and MO.

Morphology

Tufted perennial to 50 cm; basal sheaths white to light brown; stems slender, weak, ascending to reclining; leaves rough on the margins and short-hispid on the veins toward the tips; leaves of sterile shoots 3-12 mm wide, narrower on fertile shoots; terminal spike staminate, 1-2 cm long, pedunculate; pistillate spikes 2-4, 0.6-2 cm long, on short and erect or long drooping peduncles; the lowest one basal; pistillate scales cuspidate to acute, the lowest 1-3 empty or subtending staminate flowers; perigynia 4-9, 2.5-4 mm long, 2-ribbed and many nerved, sharply trigonous, abruptly contracted to a short, slightly oblique beak lacking teeth; achene trigonous; stigmas 3.

Notes

Fruiting May to June

Wetland indicator: UPL

The plant shown here is var. laxiculmis, which has leaves that are typically glaucous, the widest of which 6-11 mm wide.

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY

Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.

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