Flora of North America species comparison

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Carex scirpoidea subsp. stenochlaena
Photo is of parent taxon

Alaska single-spike sedge, single-spike sedge
Habit Plants cespitose; rhizomes inconspicuous.
Culms

lax, 24–34 cm.
Leaves

sheaths and bases from previous year’s leaves absent;

blades widely V-shaped in cross section, to 28 cm × 2.5 mm.
Perigynia

lanceolate, (2.8–)3–4(–5) × 0.9–1.4(–1.6) mm, not more than 2.5 times as long as wide, body tightly enveloping proximal 3/4 of achene.
Achenes

1.2–2 × 0.8–1 mm.
Scales

lanceolate, 3.5 × 1.5 mm.

Carex scirpoidea subsp. stenochlaena
Phenology Fruiting late May–Sep.
Habitat Weakly acidic soils
Elevation 1600–2600 m (5200–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; MT; WA; BC; YT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Carex scirpoidea subsp. stenochlaena is distinguished by lanceolate perigynia that are longer than 3 mm, tapering gradually to a beak, and over 2.5 times as long as wide. The pistillate spikes are clavate, loosely flowered at the base and borne on slender, lax culms (the spikes droop). The pistillate scales are longer than 3 mm and subtend hirsute perigynia.

Specimens of Carex scirpoidea subsp. stenochlaena from the Bitterroot Range in Ravalli County, Montana, best characterize the subspecies. Some specimens from Washington and northern British Columbia exhibit tendencies towards C. scirpoidea subsp. scirpoidea, in which perigynia are just 2.5 times as long as wide and spikes are less clavate, more loosely flowered.

Carex scirpoidea subsp. stenochlaena from British Columbia and Yukon have a tendency to intergrade with subsp. scirpoidea.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 23, p. 552.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Carex > sect. Scirpinae > Carex scirpoidea
Sibling taxa
C. scirpoidea subsp. convoluta, C. scirpoidea subsp. pseudoscirpoidea, C. scirpoidea subsp. scirpoidea
Synonyms C. scirpoidea var. stenochlaena, C. stenochlaena
Name authority (Holm) Á. Löve & D. Löve: Taxon 13: 202. (1964)
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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