OregonFlora: Carex echinata vs. Carex saxatilis

	Carex echinata	Carex saxatilis
	prickly sedge, star sedge	rock sedge, russet sedge
Habit	Plants cespitose, 10–90(135) cm tall.	Plants rhizomatous, 8–90 cm tall; plant bases reddish brown.
Leaves	usually 0.7–3(3.8) mm wide.	0.9–5 mm wide, green; flat to V-shaped in cross section.
Inflorescences	spikes separated or crowded, usually gynaecandrous, with perigynia widely spreading or reflexed at maturity; lateral spikes 3–15.5 mm long; terminal spikes 5–24 mm long, often with a narrow male portion 2–16.5 mm long.	lateral 1–3 female spikes, 1–3 cm long; erect or ascending or the lower one often nodding on its slender peduncle; terminal 1–3 spikes male, 1–4 cm long; well separated from the female spikes.
Perigynia	tapered gradually to the beak; (2.6)3–4.8 mm long, green to brown, veined or veinless on the ventral surface over the achene; base swollen; pithy when mature; beak 0.9–2 mm long, 33–60% of perigynium length.	2.2–5.5 × 1.1– 2.9 mm, green to straw-colored or often reddish brown to blackish; shiny, with 2 ribs and otherwise veinless or with obscure dorsal veins; apex abruptly narrowed at the beak; beak 0.2–0.8 mm long; teeth 0.3 mm long; straight; stigmas 2(3); styles persistent, usually becoming curved.
Achenes	lenticular.	lenticular or trigonous.
Female scales	inconspicuous; shorter than the mature achene.	as long as or shorter than the perigynia; apex acute to acuminate; awnless.
2n		=78, 80.

	Carex echinata	Carex saxatilis
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Cosmopolitan. 2 subspecies. Narrow-leaved Carex echinata is identified by its widely spreading, gradually tapering perigynia in star-like spikes.	Fens, bogs, and lake shores at high elevations. 1800–2400 m. BW. WA; north to AK, east to Greenland, southeast to UT; Eurasia. Native. Carex saxatilis is a slender, rhizomatous sedge, with shiny perigynia and a narrow terminal spike well separated from the female spike(s). Vegetatively it resembles C. pellita and C. lasiocarpa, which have hairy perigynia. The persistent styles differentiate C. saxatilis from C. aquatilis and its relatives. Carex saxatilis hybridizes with C. vesicaria and C. utriculata.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 199 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 223 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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa	C. echinata ssp. echinata, C. echinata ssp. phyllomanica
Synonyms		Carex saxatilis var. major
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA 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	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

Carex saxatilis

prickly sedge, star sedge

rock sedge, russet sedge

Habit

Plants cespitose, 10–90(135) cm tall.

Plants rhizomatous, 8–90 cm tall; plant bases reddish brown.

Leaves

usually 0.7–3(3.8) mm wide.

0.9–5 mm wide, green; flat to V-shaped in cross section.

Inflorescences

spikes separated or crowded, usually gynaecandrous, with perigynia widely spreading or reflexed at maturity;

lateral spikes 3–15.5 mm long; terminal spikes 5–24 mm long, often with a narrow male portion 2–16.5 mm long.

lateral 1–3 female spikes, 1–3 cm long; erect or ascending or the lower one often nodding on its slender peduncle; terminal 1–3 spikes male, 1–4 cm long; well separated from the female spikes.

Perigynia

tapered gradually to the beak; (2.6)3–4.8 mm long, green to brown, veined or veinless on the ventral surface over the achene;

base swollen; pithy when mature;

beak 0.9–2 mm long, 33–60% of perigynium length.

2.2–5.5 × 1.1– 2.9 mm, green to straw-colored or often reddish brown to blackish; shiny, with 2 ribs and otherwise veinless or with obscure dorsal veins;

apex abruptly narrowed at the beak;

beak 0.2–0.8 mm long;

teeth 0.3 mm long; straight;

stigmas 2(3);

styles persistent, usually becoming curved.

Achenes

lenticular.

lenticular or trigonous.

Female scales

inconspicuous; shorter than the mature achene.

as long as or shorter than the perigynia;

apex acute to acuminate; awnless.

=78, 80.

Carex saxatilis

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Cosmopolitan. 2 subspecies.

Narrow-leaved Carex echinata is identified by its widely spreading, gradually tapering perigynia in star-like spikes.

Fens, bogs, and lake shores at high elevations. 1800–2400 m. BW. WA; north to AK, east to Greenland, southeast to UT; Eurasia. Native.

Carex saxatilis is a slender, rhizomatous sedge, with shiny perigynia and a narrow terminal spike well separated from the female spike(s). Vegetatively it resembles C. pellita and C. lasiocarpa, which have hairy perigynia. The persistent styles differentiate C. saxatilis from C. aquatilis and its relatives. Carex saxatilis hybridizes with C. vesicaria and C. utriculata.