Carex scirpoidea subsp. scirpoidea
Carex sect. Scirpinae
carex faux-scirpe, northern single-spike sedge, single-spike sedge
erect, (5–)10–35(–40) cm mm, widest leaves of pistillate culm more than 1.5 mm wide.
red-brown at base.
sheaths and bases from previous year’s leaves absent;
blades widely V-shaped in cross section, 31 cm × 2.5 mm.
basal sheaths fibrous or not, persistent sheaths usually absent;
sheath fronts membranous, puberulent;
blades V-shaped in cross section when young, glabrous or puberulent.
usually 1 spike, rarely short second spike;
bractless or bract filiform, sheathless, prophyllate;
spikes unisexual, mostly staminate and pistillate spikes on different plants.
ovate, (1.8–)2–2.5(–3) × 1–1.2(–1.5) mm, less than or equal to 2.5 times as long as wide, body tightly enveloping achenes for entire length and width.
erect, veinless or obscurely veined, with 2 prominent marginal veins, stipitate, lanceolate to ovate or obovate, rounded-trigonous in cross section, less than 10 mm, base tapering or rounded, apex tapering or rounded to beak, pubescent;
beak 0.1–0.5 mm, emarginate or shortly bidentate, teeth less than 0.8 mm.
1.5–1.8 × 0.8–1.2 mm.
usually trigonous, smaller than bodies of perigynia;
style deciduous.
ovate, 2.5 × 1.5 mm.
pistillate scales with apex obtuse to acute, ciliate.
(2–)3(–4).
= 29, 31.
Carex scirpoidea subsp. scirpoidea
Carex sect. Scirpinae
Carex scirpoidea subsp. scirpoidea is the widest ranging of the subspecies and includes taxa formerly recognized by other caricologists. G. Kükenthal (1909) recognized C. scirpoidea var. europaea from a single locality in Norway. These plants are short in stature, like plants of C. scirpoidea subsp. scirpoidea from alpine habitats, and values for most morphologic characters fall within the normal range for subsp. scirpoidea. Another taxon, C. scirpiformis, was recognized by K. K. Mackenzie (1908) and treated at the varietal rank by H. O’Neill and M. Duman (1941) based on wide, hyaline pistillate scale margins and light-colored pubescence. Width of the hyaline portion of the scale margins and the color of pubescence are extremely variable characters in the group. F. J. Hermann (1957) recognized C. athabascensis as a separate species based on the overall robust habit and small, ovoid achenes. Achenes from the type specimens fall at the wide end of the range of variation of achene width in C. scirpoidea.
Carex scirpoidea subsp. scirpoidea is recognized by the lack of persistent leaf bases on the flowering shoots, ovate perigynia that are tightly enveloped by the perigynia on all sides, and leaves widely V-shaped in transverse section.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species 3 (3 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Culms 5–35(–40) cm; achenes tightly enveloped by perigynia, occupying full width and at least 3/4 length of perigynia; North America, Europe, Asia. | C. scirpoidea |
1. Culms (25–)35–91 cm; achenes loosely enveloped by perigynia, occupying 1/3–2/3 width and 1/3–3/4 length of perigynia; restricted to North America. | → 2 |
2. Perigynia tawny to red-brown, distal 3/4 hirsute; leaves sparsely pilose adaxially at 20X; n Arizona and s Utah. | C. curatorum |
2. Perigynia purple-black, distal 1/3 sparsely hairy; leaves glabrous adaxially; sw Oregon and nw California. | C. scabriuscula |
BC
OR
WA
CalFlora
Flora NW
MI Flora
MN Wildflowers
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
