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cute sedge

northwestern sedge

Habit Plants rhizomatous, shoots arising singly or in clumps, 5.5–20 cm tall; plant bases reddish brown. Plants rhizomatous, the shoots usually arising singly and spaced well apart, sometimes a few together, 14–37 cm tall, arching to the ground as the perigynia mature; plant bases reddish brown.
Leaves

sheath fronts membranous;

blades 1–3.1 mm wide.

sheath fronts membranous; mouth with minute cilia;

blades 1.7–4.5 mm wide.

Inflorescences

basal spikes absent; lowest bract sheath inflated, 2–5 mm long;

blade absent or less than 2 cm long, purpletinged;

lateral spikes 2–3, crowded near the terminal spike, 0.4–0.7 × 0.2–0.4 mm; terminal spike male; tiny, 0.3–0.7 cm × 1.1–1.5 mm.

1.2–3.3 cm long;

basal shoots absent; lowest bract reddish brown; bristle-like; sheathless, 5–8 mm long, sometimes with awn to 1(6) mm;

lateral spikes 1–3, crowded near the terminal spike, 0.6–1.3 cm × 3–6 mm; terminal spike male, 0.8–2.2 cm × 1.8–3.1 mm.

Perigynia

elliptic, 2.3–3.3(3.5) × 1.1–1.4 mm, pubescent with crinkled hairs; veinless but with 2 ribs, bases succulent, withering when dry;

beak 0.3–0.4 mm long;

stigmas 3.

elliptic to obovoid, 2.5–3 × 1.4–1.7 mm, pubescent with straight hairs; veinless but with 2 ribs, bases succulent, withering when dry;

beak 0.5 mm long;

stigmas 4.

Achenes

rounded to trigonous.

rounded but with somewhat quadrangular bases.

Male scales

dark reddish brown with whitish margins.

dark reddish brown or purplish black, with whitish margins.

Female scales

smaller than the perigynia; reddish brown; ovate;

apex obtuse, minutely ciliate.

ovate or obovate; smaller than the perigynia; dark reddish brown, minutely ciliate;

apex obtuse to acute.

Anthers

1.3–1.4 mm long.

1.9–3.1 mm long.

2n

=54.

Carex concinna

Carex concinnoides

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Stream banks, bogs, meadows, and open forests, on stable, usually calcareous substrates that are wet in spring but may dry out later. 1600–2500 m. BW. North to AK, east to Newfoundland. Native.

Carex concinna is recognized by its hairy perigynia, tiny staminate spike, and absent or tiny inflorescence bract. It lacks basal spikes among the leaf bases.

Open conifer forests, sometimes on serpentine substrates. 50–2500 m. BW, Casc, CR, Sisk. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to MT. Native.

Carex concinnoides is the only North American sedge with 4 stigmas. It blooms early in spring, before nearly all other flowers, and attracts pollinating insects. Its perigynia are hairy, and it lacks basal inflorescences among the leaf bases. Its loosely spaced shoots or tufts with dark green, arching leaves make even sterile plants identifiable. In southwestern Oregon, it often grows with C. serpenticola, which has three stigmas per perigynium and is usually dioecious.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 195
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 196
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. 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. 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. 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
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