|  back  | forward |

Carex leptalea - (image 1 of 5)

Taxonomy

Family: Cyperaceae

Section Polytrichoidae

Habitat

Bogs and calcareous fens, wet soil.

Associates

Distribution

Labrador to AK, south to FL, TX, and CA.

Morphology

Stems slender, to 60 cm, clustered on slender, branching rhizomes. Leaves shorter than stems, more or less flat, to 1.2 mm wide. Spikes 1 per stem, 0.5-1.5 cm long, terminal staminate part often short, rachilla lacking; pistillate scales obtuse to acute or short-awned, the lowest sometimes short-awned and exceeding its perigynium, otherwise shorter than the perigynia; perigynia not filled by the achene, 1-10, to 4.5 mm long, appressed-ascending, often remote, membranaceous, elliptic to lance-elliptic, often narrow and spongy at the base, beakless, with 2 marginal nerves and many finer nerves. Achene trigonous, 1.3-1.8 mm long; stigmas 3.

Notes

Flowers May

Wetland indicator: Obligate

Also called Bristle-stalked Sedge. These specimens do not look much like others I can find on the web but it may be because they are still in flower with the male portion of the spike not yet withered and the perigynia not fully developed.

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.

Home