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prickly sedge, star sedge

foothill sedge

Habit Plants cespitose, 10–90(135) cm tall. Plants rhizomatous, but the stout rhizomes short, so that the plant forms patches; culms 20–80 cm tall.
Leaves

usually 0.7–3(3.8) mm wide.

widest blades 1.5–2.5 mm wide, green; tough.

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.

1.5–5 cm × 5–8 mm, usually bent somewhat to the side; lowest inflorescence bract usually longer than the lowest spike, sometimes longer than the inflorescence;

spikes androgynous, relatively narrow.

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.

3.5–5 × 1.5–2 mm, light green or light brown; the margins not flat (but with ribs);

beak 1–3 mm long;

stigmas 2.

Achenes

lenticular.

lenticular.

Female scales

inconspicuous; shorter than the mature achene.

3.3–5.2 mm long; about as long as the perigynia and somewhat wider, tan or brown with green midrib; awn to 1 mm long.

Carex echinata

Carex tumulicola

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.

Grasslands, oak savanna, dry slopes, and openings in forest. 0–800 m. CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia. Native.

Carex tumulicola forms patches of tough green leaves in mesic to dry grasslands. It produces brown inflorescences that usually bend to the side, often with the lowest bract diverging. Its perigynia are mostly hidden by the female scales. Carex hoodii has a denser, relatively shorter inflorescence, and its perigynia are greenish with contrasting chestnut brown center (or light brown with contrasting dark brown center, when old). Sedges sold as C. tumulicola for native lawns are often introduced C. divulsa.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 199
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 231
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. 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. 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
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