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northern bog sedge

northern clustered sedge

Habit Plants rhizomatous, the rhizomes only 0.3–0.8 mm in diameter; culms slender and round in cross section, 2–30 cm long. Plants cespitose, 15–80 cm tall.
Leaves

0.3–0.7 mm wide.

sheath fronts with tiny purplish dots;

blades 2–4 mm wide, green; shorter to longer than the culms.

Inflorescences

spike solitary, usually female but occasionally androgynous or male; if male; the spike 0.8–1.6 cm × 1–2 mm; if female; the spike more or less oblong, 0.5–1.4 cm × 4–8 mm.

1.5–4 cm × 7–12 mm, usually green to light brown;

spikes 5–15, crowded, gynaecandrous, oblong, 5–10 mm long, with 10–20 perigynia; perigynia beak tips giving the spikes a somewhat rough outline.

Perigynia

oblong-ovoid; biconvex, 2.9–3.4 × 1.2–1.7 mm; yellowish or green when young, brown at maturity, with many obscure to conspicuous fine veins;

beak 0.5 mm long;

stigmas 2.

ovate, 2–3(3.5) × 1.2–1.5 mm, green to brown, with several veins;

beak 0.75–1.25 mm long; dorsal suture conspicuous;

stigmas 2.

Achenes

lenticular.

lenticular.

Female scales

mostly shorter but broader than the perigynia, light brown; more or less hyaline.

shorter than the perigynia; hyaline and often brownish, with green midvein.

2n

=46, 48.

=60.

Carex gynocrates

Carex arcta

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Growing in moss in bogs, usually in openings in conifer forests, sometimes in open bogs or subalpine meadows. 1600–1700 m. BW. ID, NV, WA; north to AK, east to Greenland; Asia. Native.

Carex gynocrates is a delicate little sedge of moss mats in high montane bogs.

Wet places in meadows, woodlands, thickets, and forest opening. 0–1800 m. Casc, CR, ECas, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; north to Yukon, east to Newfoundland and ME. Native.

Carex arcta can appear similar to taxa found in subkey 9, but the perigynia are unwinged. Carex canescens has gray-green foliage, fewer spikes, and shorter beaks.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 202
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 189
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. 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. 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 dioica, Carex dioica var. gynocrates
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