Taxonomy
Family: Cyperaceae
Section Ovales
Habitat
Moist to wet soil, meadows, thickets.
Associates
Distribution
Quebec and ME to NC, west to MO, SD, and MT.
Morphology
Tufted perennial to 90 cm; aphyllopodic; leaves 1.5-2.5 mm wide, lax and elongate, sheaths hyaline ventrally; spikes stout, mostly 4-8, gynaecandrous, to 8 mm, sessile in a moniliform or interrupted spike 1.5-5 cm long; pistillate scales shorter and narrow than perigynia; perigynia crowded, ascending, ovate, planoconvex or flattened, usually less than 2.5 times as long as wide, the beaks protruding from the spike; achene lenticular, 1.3-2.1 mm long and 0.9-1.3 mm wide; stigmas 2.
Notes
Fruiting June to July
Wetland indicator: FAC
Similar to Carex bebbii which typically has narrower achenes (<0.8 mm) and perigynia (sometimes over 2.5 time as long as 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.
© Michael Hough 2010 |