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northern bog sedge

woolly 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 rhizomatous, 15–70 cm tall, aphyllopodic; plant bases reddish, shiny.
Leaves

0.3–0.7 mm wide.

sheaths glabrous, rarely very short-pubescent; lower ones ladder-fibrillose;

blades (2)2.2–4.5(6) mm, yellow-green; flat or M-shaped in cross section; the tips not curled.

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.

lowest bract erect or nearly so; longer than the inflorescence;

lateral 1–3 spikes female; erect or ascending; well separated from the 1–3 terminal male spikes.

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.

broadly ovoid, abruptly contracted to the beak, 2.4–5.2 × 1.7–2.8 mm, densely pubescent, ascending;

beak (0.6)0.8–1.6 mm long;

teeth 0.4–0.8 mm long; straight;

stigmas 3.

Achenes

lenticular.

trigonous.

Female scales

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

glabrous or with scabrous margin apically; acute to awned.

2n

=46, 48.

Carex gynocrates

Carex pellita

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.

Marshes, stream banks, ditches, pond margins, and wet meadows, often in places that are dry at the surface in summer, often in habitats with a history of disturbance. 0–2300 m. BR, BW, Casc, Col, ECas, Lava, Owy, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to AK, east to Newfoundland, south to Mexico. Native.

Carex pellita is a common, slender, rhizomatous wetland sedge, sometimes forming dense stands but often mixing inconspicuously with other vegetation. Its densely hairy perigynia taper abruptly to short beaks. It often fails to flower; sterile plants can be identified by the slender, aphyllopodic, glabrous, shiny, varnished-looking, red-brown shoot bases with ladder-fibrillose leaf sheath fronts. Compare to C. lasiocarpa.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 202
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 219
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. 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. 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 Carex lanuginosa
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