OregonFlora: Carex granularis vs. Carex

	Carex granularis	Carex
		sedge
Habit		Plants perennial, herbaceous; cespitose or rhizomatous, rarely stoloniferous; culms usually trigonous, sometimes round.
Leaves		sheath fronts closed; ligules membranous; blades linear, usually flat; V-shaped, or M-shaped in cross section, sometimes involute or filiform.
Inflorescences		terminal, consisting of spikes each with few to many perigynia; the spikes solitary or arranged in heads; racemes, or panicles; each spike usually subtended by an inflorescence bract which is leaf-like; bristle-like, or scale-like.
Flowers		unisexual, lacking a perianth; male flowers with 1–3 stamens; each subtended by a staminate scale; female flowers each surrounded by the perigynium; open only at the apex; each perigynium subtended by a pistillate scale; styles deciduous or persistent, divided into 2–3(4) parts each with a stigma; perigynia sometimes stipitate, with a body (wide part around the achene) and a narrower beak (around the style), usually with 2 projections (teeth) on each side of the opening through which the style emerges.
Achenes		biconvex; plano-convex, or trigonous, rarely 4-angled.

	Carex granularis	Carex
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Discussion		Cosmopolitan. Approximately 2000 species; 139 species treated in Flora. Though most diverse in wetlands, Carex also occur in dry habitats such as upland forests, alpine ridges, and sagebrush steppes. Carex species are important forage plants and excellent soil binders. Foliage and split rhizomes are used for basketry and to make other household items. The characteristic trait of Carex is the perigynium, a modified bract that surrounds the female flower. In Carex, this structure is sealed except for a small opening through which the style emerges. Mature perigynia are necessary for identification of most Carex species. Inflorescences on late season shoots can have abnormal shapes, bracts, and perigynia. They are often not identifiable. Many different hybrid combinations have been reported in Carex. Most hybrids are completely sterile, with indehiscent anthers and malformed achenes. Some, however, may be partially fertile.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 172 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. 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
Subordinate 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. 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
Web links	Local floras: BC 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, 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

Distribution

Discussion

Cosmopolitan. Approximately 2000 species; 139 species treated in Flora. Though most diverse in wetlands, Carex also occur in dry habitats such as upland forests, alpine ridges, and sagebrush steppes.

Carex species are important forage plants and excellent soil binders. Foliage and split rhizomes are used for basketry and to make other household items. The characteristic trait of Carex is the perigynium, a modified bract that surrounds the female flower. In Carex, this structure is sealed except for a small opening through which the style emerges. Mature perigynia are necessary for identification of most Carex species. Inflorescences on late season shoots can have abnormal shapes, bracts, and perigynia. They are often not identifiable. Many different hybrid combinations have been reported in Carex. Most hybrids are completely sterile, with indehiscent anthers and malformed achenes. Some, however, may be partially fertile.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 172
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Sibling taxa