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cute sedge

Payson's sedge

Habit Plants rhizomatous, shoots arising singly or in clumps, 5.5–20 cm tall; plant bases reddish brown. Plants more or less rhizomatous, 15–50 cm tall; culms usually phyllopodic.
Leaves

sheath fronts membranous;

blades 1–3.1 mm wide.

3–6 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.

spikes 3–5, 0.5–2.5 cm long;

lateral spikes female; erect; terminal spike male, occasionally androgynous.

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.

ovate or obovate to round, flattened, 3.5–4 mm long, usually more than half as wide as long, purple-black at least toward the tip, veined, with the marginal ribs displaced away from the margin; smooth;

beak 0.3–0.5 mm long;

stigmas 3.

Achenes

rounded to trigonous.

trigonous, filling half or less of the perigynium bodies.

Male scales

dark reddish brown with whitish margins.

Female scales

smaller than the perigynia; reddish brown; ovate;

apex obtuse, minutely ciliate.

narrower and longer or shorter than the perigynia, light brown to reddish black;

margins dark or rarely hyaline;

midvein dark (occasionally light);

apex acute or mucronate but not truly awned.

Anthers

1.3–1.4 mm long.

2n

=54.

Carex concinna

Carex paysonis

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county 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.

Subalpine and alpine meadows, talus, and snowmelt basins, the sites generally moist or if apparently dry then with underground moisture. 1800–3000 m. BW. ID; north to British Columbia, east to WY, southeast to UT. Native.

Carex paysonis is a large montane sedge with a staminate terminal spike and broad perigynia with prominent ribs located near, but not on the margins. Similar C. spectabilis has elliptic perigynia with the ribs usually truly marginal and has aphyllopodic fertile shoots. Carex paysonis is used for high elevation habitat restoration and mine reclamation projects because it tolerates heavy-metal contamination.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 195
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 218
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. 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
Synonyms Carex podocarpa
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