OregonFlora: Carex concinna vs. Carex tiogana

	Carex concinna	Carex tiogana
	cute sedge	Tioga Pass sedge
Habit	Plants rhizomatous, shoots arising singly or in clumps, 5.5–20 cm tall; plant bases reddish brown.	Plants cespitose, 1.8–7.5 cm tall.
Leaves	sheath fronts membranous; blades 1–3.1 mm wide.	1.5–3 mm wide, falcate, with serrulate margins and the midrib serrulate at least in the distal 33%.
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.	bracts with well-developed sheaths; lateral spikes female, with 3–9 perigynia; the lower erect to nodding; terminal spike male, 0.35–0.5 cm long.
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.	oblong- ovate, 1.2–2.1 × 0.4–1 mm; straw-colored to brown; veinless but with 2 marginal ribs, usually with a few curved spines on the distal margins; beak 0.2–0.5 mm long; stigmas 3.
Achenes	rounded to trigonous.	trigonous.
Male scales	dark reddish brown with whitish margins.
Female scales	smaller than the perigynia; reddish brown; ovate; apex obtuse, minutely ciliate.	obtuse to acuminate; shorter but wider than the perigynia, mostly white with scabrous; gold midrib, falling before the perigynia.
Anthers	1.3–1.4 mm long.
2n	=54.

	Carex concinna	Carex tiogana
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.	Rocky benches in cirques with thin soil kept wet by snowmelt. 2700–2800 m. BR. CA. Native. Carex tiogana is a tiny, alpine sedge with arching leaves and small brown perigynia subtended by largely white female scales that fall early. At first glance, it might be dismissed as a small alpine grass, perhaps an Agrostis. Carex tiogana is an alpine relative of C. capillaris, a taller plant with flat leaves and larger perigynia. In C. capillaris, the midrib of the female scales and the margins and midribs of its leaves are usually smooth.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 195 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 230 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. tribuloides, C. tumulicola, C. unilateralis, C. utriculata, C. vallicola, C. vernacula, C. vesicaria, C. viridula, C. vulpinoidea, C. whitneyi, C. zikae
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR 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 tiogana

cute sedge

Tioga Pass sedge

Habit

Plants rhizomatous, shoots arising singly or in clumps, 5.5–20 cm tall; plant bases reddish brown.

Plants cespitose, 1.8–7.5 cm tall.

Leaves

sheath fronts membranous;

blades 1–3.1 mm wide.

1.5–3 mm wide, falcate, with serrulate margins and the midrib serrulate at least in the distal 33%.

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.

bracts with well-developed sheaths;

lateral spikes female, with 3–9 perigynia; the lower erect to nodding; terminal spike male, 0.35–0.5 cm long.

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.

oblong- ovate, 1.2–2.1 × 0.4–1 mm; straw-colored to brown; veinless but with 2 marginal ribs, usually with a few curved spines on the distal margins;

beak 0.2–0.5 mm long;

stigmas 3.

Achenes

rounded to trigonous.

trigonous.

Male scales

dark reddish brown with whitish margins.

Female scales

smaller than the perigynia; reddish brown; ovate;

apex obtuse, minutely ciliate.

obtuse to acuminate; shorter but wider than the perigynia, mostly white with scabrous; gold midrib, falling before the perigynia.

Anthers

1.3–1.4 mm long.

=54.

Carex tiogana

Distribution

[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.

Rocky benches in cirques with thin soil kept wet by snowmelt. 2700–2800 m. BR. CA. Native.

Carex tiogana is a tiny, alpine sedge with arching leaves and small brown perigynia subtended by largely white female scales that fall early. At first glance, it might be dismissed as a small alpine grass, perhaps an Agrostis. Carex tiogana is an alpine relative of C. capillaris, a taller plant with flat leaves and larger perigynia. In C. capillaris, the midrib of the female scales and the margins and midribs of its leaves are usually smooth.

Source

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

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 230
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Sibling taxa