OregonFlora: Carex longii vs. Carex diandra

	Carex longii	Carex diandra
	green-and-white sedge	lesser panicled sedge
Habit	Plants cespitose, 30–120 cm tall, the vegetative culms sometimes rooting at nodes.	Plants cespitose to short-rhizomatous, 2–90 cm tall.
Leaves	sheath fronts green and veined except for a small white-hyaline triangle at the top; blades 2–4.5 mm wide.	sheath fronts white with red dots, sometimes coppery-tinged; blades 1–2.5 mm wide.
Inflorescences	1–4.5(6) cm × 5–14 mm, typically elongate; spikes distinct but overlapping, gynaecandrous, rounded or tapered to tip.	1.7–4.0(6.0) cm × 6–15 mm, inconspicuously branched; erect, not interrupted or only slightly so; spikes androgynous or female.
Perigynia	obovate, 3–4.6 × 1.6–2.6(2.8) mm; the body widest above the middle, green or light brown; veins 5 to many on each face; wings 0.5–0.8 mm wide; beak tip winged and ciliate-serrulate almost to the tip, 1.4–2.2 mm from achene top to beak tip; stigmas 2.	lance-ovate; biconvex; (2)2.3–2.5(2.9) × 1–1.4 mm; olive brown to dark brown and sometimes green on beak; shiny; so filled with pithy tissue that the ventral surface often bulges; dorsal surface with a shallow narrow groove and 4–6 veins; beak 0.9–1.1 mm long; stigmas 2.
Achenes	lenticular, 1.3–1.7 × 0.7–1 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick.	lenticular.
Female scales	2.2–3.7 mm long; shorter and narrower than the perigynia, white-hyaline; aging silvery brown, with green center; apex obtuse.	about as wide as the perigynia at the base; but shorter than the perigynia and narrowing toward the tip; thus not concealing the perigynia.
2n	=58, 60, 62.	=48, 50, 60.

	Carex longii	Carex diandra
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Bogs and pond shores, on peaty or sandy soils, often where water levels fluctuate greatly, sometimes a weed in cranberry bogs. 0–50 m. Est. WA; eastern North America, HI, Central America, Caribbean; New Zealand. Exotic. Carex longii is cespitose and has a silvery-green, elongated inflorescences and green leaf sheath fronts. It strongly resembles native C. feta, which has rounder spikes and perigynium bodies widest near the middle.	Bogs and fens, floating peat mats, lake shores, springs and seeps. 1100–1600 m. ECas. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to AK, east to Newfoundland; Eurasia, New Zealand. Native. Carex diandra is recognized by its red-dotted leaf sheath fronts, shiny, dark, dorsally grooved, bulging perigynia, and its bog habitat. Small individuals of C. cusickii are similar but have conspicuous coppery coloration at the top of the leaf sheath front.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 212 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 198 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. 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. 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, 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, 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

Carex diandra

green-and-white sedge

lesser panicled sedge

Habit

Plants cespitose, 30–120 cm tall, the vegetative culms sometimes rooting at nodes.

Plants cespitose to short-rhizomatous, 2–90 cm tall.

Leaves

sheath fronts green and veined except for a small white-hyaline triangle at the top;

blades 2–4.5 mm wide.

sheath fronts white with red dots, sometimes coppery-tinged;

blades 1–2.5 mm wide.

Inflorescences

1–4.5(6) cm × 5–14 mm, typically elongate;

spikes distinct but overlapping, gynaecandrous, rounded or tapered to tip.

1.7–4.0(6.0) cm × 6–15 mm, inconspicuously branched; erect, not interrupted or only slightly so;

spikes androgynous or female.

Perigynia

obovate, 3–4.6 × 1.6–2.6(2.8) mm; the body widest above the middle, green or light brown;

veins 5 to many on each face;

wings 0.5–0.8 mm wide;

beak tip winged and ciliate-serrulate almost to the tip, 1.4–2.2 mm from achene top to beak tip;

stigmas 2.

lance-ovate; biconvex; (2)2.3–2.5(2.9) × 1–1.4 mm; olive brown to dark brown and sometimes green on beak; shiny; so filled with pithy tissue that the ventral surface often bulges; dorsal surface with a shallow narrow groove and 4–6 veins;

beak 0.9–1.1 mm long;

stigmas 2.

Achenes

lenticular, 1.3–1.7 × 0.7–1 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick.

lenticular.

Female scales

2.2–3.7 mm long; shorter and narrower than the perigynia, white-hyaline; aging silvery brown, with green center;

apex obtuse.

about as wide as the perigynia at the base; but shorter than the perigynia and narrowing toward the tip; thus not concealing the perigynia.

=58, 60, 62.

=48, 50, 60.

Carex longii

Carex diandra

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Bogs and pond shores, on peaty or sandy soils, often where water levels fluctuate greatly, sometimes a weed in cranberry bogs. 0–50 m. Est. WA; eastern North America, HI, Central America, Caribbean; New Zealand. Exotic.

Carex longii is cespitose and has a silvery-green, elongated inflorescences and green leaf sheath fronts. It strongly resembles native C. feta, which has rounder spikes and perigynium bodies widest near the middle.

Bogs and fens, floating peat mats, lake shores, springs and seeps. 1100–1600 m. ECas. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to AK, east to Newfoundland; Eurasia, New Zealand. Native.

Carex diandra is recognized by its red-dotted leaf sheath fronts, shiny, dark, dorsally grooved, bulging perigynia, and its bog habitat. Small individuals of C. cusickii are similar but have conspicuous coppery coloration at the top of the leaf sheath front.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 212
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 198
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Sibling taxa