OregonFlora: Carex bebbii vs. Carex mendocinensis

	Carex bebbii	Carex mendocinensis
	Bebb's sedge	Mendocino sedge
Habit	Plants cespitose, 20–90 cm tall.	Plants densely cespitose, 25–80 cm tall.
Leaves	1.7–4.2 mm wide.	lowest sheaths reddish; bladeless, glabrous or with a few rough hairs; blades 2.5–5.5 mm wide; flat, usually glabrous (sometimes sparsely hairy on one or both sides especially near the base).
Inflorescences	1.1–3 cm × 5–14 mm; spikes 3–10, overlapping; more or less round, gynaecandrous; distinct.	sheath of lowest bract well developed, 8–40 mm long; lateral spikes 3–5; female, cylindric, 1–6 cm × 2.5–6 mm; terminal spike male (rarely gynaecandrous), sessile or nearly so, 1.8–3.8 cm long.
Perigynia	ovate or elliptic; plano-convex, 2.5–3.8 × (1)1.2–2 mm, spreading, green when young, becoming reddish brown, with 3+ dorsal veins; the ventral side with 1–3 faint veins or veined only near the base; wings 0.2–0.5 mm wide; beak tips reddish brown, winged; and more or less ciliate-serrulate, 1.2–2.2 mm from top of achene to tip of beak; stigmas 2.	oblong-lanceolate, 2.7–5 × 0.8–1.8 mm, green to brown; more or less spotted with red, usually reddish at base, with 12–15 fine veins plus 2 marginal ribs, glabrous or with sparse hairs near the tip; beak 0.3–1 mm long; stigmas 3.
Achenes	lenticular, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.9 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick.	trigonous.
Female scales	2.5–3.5 mm long; shorter and narrower than their perigynia; reddish brown; mid-stripe green; pale, or brown.	broadly ovate; shorter than the mature perigynia; more or less brown to gold with white margins and green midrib, with ciliate margins but otherwise glabrous.
2n	=68, 70.

	Carex bebbii	Carex mendocinensis
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Meadows, stream banks, irrigation ponds and roadside ditches. 700–1300 m. BW, Lava. ID, WA; north to AK, east to Newfoundland. Native. Carex bebbii is difficult to key but easier to recognize by its reddish brown inflorescences with rounded spikes. Carex subfusca has similarly small perigynia but its inflorescences are green, straw-colored, or light brown, and proportionately narrower. Carex pachystachya has larger, darker inflorescences. Both these species have beak tips unwinged and entire for 0.4–0.7 mm from the tip, unlike C. bebbii.	Seeps, small streams, and wet meadows, typically on serpentine substrates but sometimes on disturbed non-serpentine sites. 0–1400 m. Casc, CR, Est, Sisk. CA. Native. Carex mendocinensis is characterized by a dense mound of often yellow-green leaves, slender female spikes, usually ciliate margins of the inflorescence bract sheath and the female scales, and small perigynia. The few hairs on leaves and perigynia might cause confusion with C. gynodynama, which has wider, hairier leaves and densely hairy perigynia densely packed in wider spikes.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 191 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 214 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Sibling taxa	C. abrupta, C. agastachys, C. amplifolia, C. angustata, C. aperta, C. aquatilis, C. arcta, C. arenaria, C. atherodes, C. athrostachya, C. atrosquama, C. aurea, C. barbarae, C. bolanderi, C. brainerdii, C. brevior, C. breweri, C. buchananii, C. buxbaumii, C. californica, C. canescens, C. capillaris, C. capitata, C. chordorrhiza, C. comans, C. comosa, C. concinna, C. concinnoides, C. cordillerana, C. crawfordii, C. cusickii, C. davyi, C. deflexa, C. densa, C. diandra, C. disperma, C. distans, C. douglasii, C. duriuscula, C. echinata, C. exsiccata, C. feta, C. filifolia, C. fissuricola, C. fracta, C. geyeri, C. gynocrates, C. gynodynama, C. halliana, C. harfordii, C. hassei, C. haydeniana, C. hendersonii, C. heteroneura, C. hirsutella, C. hirta, C. hoodii, C. hystericina, C. idahoa, C. illota, C. infirminervia, C. inops, C. integra, C. interior, C. interrupta, C. jonesii, C. kelloggii, C. klamathensis, C. kobomugi, C. laeviculmis, C. lasiocarpa, C. leporina, C. leporinella, C. leptalea, C. leptopoda, C. limosa, C. livida, C. longii, C. luzulina, C. lyngbyei, C. macrocephala, C. macrochaeta, C. media, C. mendocinensis, C. mertensii, C. mesochorea, C. micropoda, C. microptera, C. multicaulis, C. nardina, C. nebrascensis, C. nervina, C. neurophora, C. nigricans, C. nudata, C. obnupta, C. pachycarpa, C. pachystachya, C. pansa, C. paysonis, C. pellita, C. pelocarpa, C. pendula, C. petasata, C. phaeocephala, C. pluriflora, C. praeceptorum, C. praegracilis, C. praticola, C. preslii, C. pumila, C. raynoldsii, C. retrorsa, C. rossii, C. saxatilis, C. scabriuscula, C. scirpoidea, C. scoparia, C. scopulorum, C. serpenticola, C. serratodens, C. sheldonii, C. simulata, C. spectabilis, C. stipata, C. straminiformis, C. subbracteata, C. subfusca, C. subnigricans, C. sychnocephala, C. tahoensis, C. tiogana, C. tribuloides, C. tumulicola, C. unilateralis, C. utriculata, C. vallicola, C. vernacula, C. vesicaria, C. viridula, C. vulpinoidea, C. whitneyi, C. zikae	C. abrupta, C. agastachys, C. amplifolia, C. angustata, C. aperta, C. aquatilis, C. arcta, C. arenaria, C. atherodes, C. athrostachya, C. atrosquama, C. aurea, C. barbarae, C. bebbii, C. bolanderi, C. brainerdii, C. brevior, C. breweri, C. buchananii, C. buxbaumii, C. californica, C. canescens, C. capillaris, C. capitata, C. chordorrhiza, C. comans, C. comosa, C. concinna, C. concinnoides, C. cordillerana, C. crawfordii, C. cusickii, C. davyi, C. deflexa, C. densa, C. diandra, C. disperma, C. distans, C. douglasii, C. duriuscula, C. echinata, C. exsiccata, C. feta, C. filifolia, C. fissuricola, C. fracta, C. geyeri, C. gynocrates, C. gynodynama, C. halliana, C. harfordii, C. hassei, C. haydeniana, C. hendersonii, C. heteroneura, C. hirsutella, C. hirta, C. hoodii, C. hystericina, C. idahoa, C. illota, C. infirminervia, C. inops, C. integra, C. interior, C. interrupta, C. jonesii, C. kelloggii, C. klamathensis, C. kobomugi, C. laeviculmis, C. lasiocarpa, C. leporina, C. leporinella, C. leptalea, C. leptopoda, C. limosa, C. livida, C. longii, C. luzulina, C. lyngbyei, C. macrocephala, C. macrochaeta, C. media, C. mertensii, C. mesochorea, C. micropoda, C. microptera, C. multicaulis, C. nardina, C. nebrascensis, C. nervina, C. neurophora, C. nigricans, C. nudata, C. obnupta, C. pachycarpa, C. pachystachya, C. pansa, C. paysonis, C. pellita, C. pelocarpa, C. pendula, C. petasata, C. phaeocephala, C. pluriflora, C. praeceptorum, C. praegracilis, C. praticola, C. preslii, C. pumila, C. raynoldsii, C. retrorsa, C. rossii, C. saxatilis, C. scabriuscula, C. scirpoidea, C. scoparia, C. scopulorum, C. serpenticola, C. serratodens, C. sheldonii, C. simulata, C. spectabilis, C. stipata, C. straminiformis, C. subbracteata, C. subfusca, C. subnigricans, C. sychnocephala, C. tahoensis, C. tiogana, C. tribuloides, C. tumulicola, C. unilateralis, C. utriculata, C. vallicola, C. vernacula, C. vesicaria, C. viridula, C. vulpinoidea, C. whitneyi, C. zikae
Synonyms		Carex debiliformis
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Carex mendocinensis

Bebb's sedge

Mendocino sedge

Habit

Plants cespitose, 20–90 cm tall.

Plants densely cespitose, 25–80 cm tall.

Leaves

1.7–4.2 mm wide.

lowest sheaths reddish; bladeless, glabrous or with a few rough hairs;

blades 2.5–5.5 mm wide; flat, usually glabrous (sometimes sparsely hairy on one or both sides especially near the base).

Inflorescences

1.1–3 cm × 5–14 mm;

spikes 3–10, overlapping; more or less round, gynaecandrous; distinct.

sheath of lowest bract well developed, 8–40 mm long;

lateral spikes 3–5; female, cylindric, 1–6 cm × 2.5–6 mm; terminal spike male (rarely gynaecandrous), sessile or nearly so, 1.8–3.8 cm long.

Perigynia

ovate or elliptic; plano-convex, 2.5–3.8 × (1)1.2–2 mm, spreading, green when young, becoming reddish brown, with 3+ dorsal veins; the ventral side with 1–3 faint veins or veined only near the base;

wings 0.2–0.5 mm wide;

beak tips reddish brown, winged; and more or less ciliate-serrulate, 1.2–2.2 mm from top of achene to tip of beak;

stigmas 2.

oblong-lanceolate, 2.7–5 × 0.8–1.8 mm, green to brown; more or less spotted with red, usually reddish at base, with 12–15 fine veins plus 2 marginal ribs, glabrous or with sparse hairs near the tip;

beak 0.3–1 mm long;

stigmas 3.

Achenes

lenticular, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.9 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick.

trigonous.

Female scales

2.5–3.5 mm long; shorter and narrower than their perigynia; reddish brown; mid-stripe green; pale, or brown.

broadly ovate; shorter than the mature perigynia; more or less brown to gold with white margins and green midrib, with ciliate margins but otherwise glabrous.

=68, 70.

Carex mendocinensis

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Meadows, stream banks, irrigation ponds and roadside ditches. 700–1300 m. BW, Lava. ID, WA; north to AK, east to Newfoundland. Native.

Carex bebbii is difficult to key but easier to recognize by its reddish brown inflorescences with rounded spikes. Carex subfusca has similarly small perigynia but its inflorescences are green, straw-colored, or light brown, and proportionately narrower. Carex pachystachya has larger, darker inflorescences. Both these species have beak tips unwinged and entire for 0.4–0.7 mm from the tip, unlike C. bebbii.

Seeps, small streams, and wet meadows, typically on serpentine substrates but sometimes on disturbed non-serpentine sites. 0–1400 m. Casc, CR, Est, Sisk. CA. Native.

Carex mendocinensis is characterized by a dense mound of often yellow-green leaves, slender female spikes, usually ciliate margins of the inflorescence bract sheath and the female scales, and small perigynia. The few hairs on leaves and perigynia might cause confusion with C. gynodynama, which has wider, hairier leaves and densely hairy perigynia densely packed in wider spikes.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 191
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 214
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Sibling taxa