Flora of North America species comparison

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Carex luzulina var. ablata

Carex sect. Aulocystis
Photo is of parent taxon

woodrush sedge
Habit Plants cespitose, short to long rhizomatous, sometimes stoloniferous.
Culms

brown at base, shorter than leaves.
Leaves

basal sheaths not fibrous;

sheath fronts membranous;

blades V-shaped in cross section when young, proximal leaf blades with lateral veins equally prominent, distal leaf blades at least 2 mm, glabrous.
Inflorescences

racemose, with 2–8+ spikes;

proximal nonbasal bracts filiform or scalelike, sheathing at least 3 mm, longer than diameter of stem;

lateral spikes pistillate, androgynous, or, rarely, staminate, pedunculate, prophyllate, pistillate scales ovoid, with not more than 25 perigynia;

terminal spike staminate, androgynous, or gynecandrous.
Spikes

lax.

Perigynia

ascending, usually mostly purple at least distally.

ascending or spreading, purplish black at least distally, or black-mottled, veinless or weakly veined, sometimes with 2, strong, marginal veins, stipitate, lanceolate to ovate, biconvex or trigonous in cross section, less than 10 mm, base tapered to rounded, apex tapering or abruptly beaked, glabrous, setose, or hispidulous;

beak straight, ± bidentate.
Achenes

trigonous, rarely biconvex, smaller than bodies of perigynia;

style deciduous.
Pistillate

scales dark purple with paler midvein usually less than 0.2 mm wide and not extending to tip, apex usually acute.

Proximal

pistillate scales dark brown to almost black, 1–3-veined, apex obtuse to acuminate.
Stigmas

(2–)3.

Carex luzulina var. ablata

Carex sect. Aulocystis
Phenology Fruiting summer.
Habitat Wet meadows, bogs
Elevation 1200–2200 m. (3900–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
Temperate and artic regions of North America and Eurasia; primarily in temperate Asia
Discussion

The two varieties of Carex luzulina recognized above can usually be distinguished by the key characters; some populations are intermediate.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species probably over 50 (8 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Perigynia minutely papillose; pistillate scales minutely papillose at least at center.
C. atrofusca
1. Perigynia and pistillate scales not papillose.
→ 2
2. Proximal bract sheaths expanded distally, (1.8–)2–3 mm wide at mouth, usually with wide purple band at mouth.
C. luzulifolia
2. Proximal bract sheaths cylindric or slightly expanded distally, less than 2 mm wide at mouth, without or with narrow purple band at mouth.
→ 3
3. Terminal spike gynecandrous.
C. fuliginosa
3. Terminal spike staminate or androgynous.
→ 4
4. Distance from achene apex to perigynium beak tip less than 1.5 mm; exserted portion of peduncle of proximal spike usually less than 1 cm.
→ 5
4. Distance from achene apex to perigynium beak tip 1.5+ mm; exserted portion of peduncle of proximal spike usually more than 1 cm, sometimes shorter.
→ 6
5. Widest leaf blades 3–6 mm wide; inflorescences more than 15 cm.
C. albida
5. Widest leaf blades 1.5–3(–4) mm wide; inflorescences usually less than 15 cm.
C. lemmonii
6. Perigynia glabrous on faces.
→ 7
6. Perigynia setose or hispidulous on faces, sometimes sparsely.
→ 8
7. Pistillate scales 3–5.8 mm; perigynia tapering to indistinct beak to 0.5 (–1) mm, faces distinctly 3–9-veined.
C. petricosa
7. Pistillate scales 1.9–3.5 mm; perigynia usually abruptly beaked to 0.5– 1.5 mm, faces indistinctly veined or distinctly 9–20-veined.
C. luzulina
8. Perigynia without flat margins around achene, faces distinctly 3–9-veined, apex tapering to indistinct beak to 0.5(–1) mm; leaf blades 1–3.5 mm wide.
C. petricosa
8. Perigynia with narrow flat margins around achene, faces indistinctly veined, apex tapering to abrupt beak to 0.5–1.5 mm; leaf blades 3–8 mm wide.
C. fissuricola
Source FNA vol. 23, p. 481. FNA vol. 23. Authors: Peter W. Ball, Joy Mastrogiuseppe.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Carex > sect. Aulocystis > Carex luzulina Cyperaceae > Carex
Sibling taxa
C. luzulina var. luzulina
Subordinate taxa
C. albida, C. atrofusca, C. fissuricola, C. fuliginosa, C. lemmonii, C. luzulifolia, C. luzulina, C. petricosa
Synonyms C. ablata, C. luzulifolia var. ablata, C. owyheensis C. section Ferrugineae
Name authority (L. H. Bailey) F. J. Hermann: Rhodora 70: 420. (1968) Dumortier: Fl. Belg., 147. (1827)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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