Carex sect. Glareosae
brown at base.
basal sheaths fibrous, usually not persisting more than a year;
sheath fronts membranous;
blades V-shaped in cross section when young, glabrous.
racemose, with (1–)2–10(–15) spikes;
rachis of spikes glabrous;
proximal bracts scalelike, bristlelike, or inconspicuous, sheathless;
lateral spikes gynecandrous or pistillate, sessile, without prophylls;
terminal spikes gynecandrous.
ascending or spreading, obscurely to distinctly veined on both faces, stipitate, obovate, ovate, lanceolate, or elliptic, plano-convex in cross section, 1.5–4 mm, base rounded or truncate, with spongy tissue, margins rounded or acutely angled, apex rounded and beakless or abruptly beaked, smooth or minutely papillose, glabrous;
beak sometimes inconspicuous, 0.1–0.3 mm, with or without abaxial suture, margins entire or sparsely and minutely serrulate, apex entire or bidentate.
biconvex, smaller than bodies of perigynia;
style deciduous.
pistillate scales with apex obtuse to acute or cuspidate.
2.
= 27–33.
Carex sect. Glareosae
Species 20–25 (16 in flora).
Members of Carex sect. Glarosae primarily occur on peatlands, shores, meadows, moist forests, and wet tundra in the colder parts of the flora area and extend northward into the arctic region and southward in the western mountains. The group is widely distributed in Eurasia and sparingly represented in the mountains of southern Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Hybrids in sect. Glareosae are rather uncommon, though to some extent neglected. Hybrids are found where parental species coexist, and they usually show intermediate ecologic preferences (H. Toivonen 1981). Hybrids are intermediate in morphology and some show hybrid vigor. They seem to be highly sterile with aborted pollen grains and empty perigynia.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Proximal bracts long-bristlelike, many times exceeding 1–5-flowered spike; spikes widely separate. | C. trisperma |
1. Proximal bracts short-bristlelike or scalelike, often shorter than spike; spikes usually several-flowered, distal spikes approximate. | → 2 |
2. Perigynia beakless or nearly so; scales white-hyaline; plants loosely cespitose. | → 3 |
2. Perigynia shortly to strongly beaked; scales green or brown; plants loosely or densely cespitose. | → 4 |
3. Perigynia gray-green; spikes aggregated, forming an ovoid to suborbicular head; perigynia obscurely veined. | C. tenuiflora |
3. Perigynia light green; spikes remote (proximal 2 spikes at least 1 cm apart); perigynia conspicuously veined. | C. loliacea |
4. Perigynia widest near base, apex long-beaked, margins strongly serrulate. | C. arcta |
4. Perigynia widest near middle, apex short-to long-beaked, margins entire to serrulate. | → 5 |
5. Spikes 1–4(–6), closely approximate; scales tinged chestnut or red. | → 6 |
5. Spikes 3–10, approximate to remote; scales tinged light green or dark brown. | → 10 |
6. Culms 2–10 cm; plants densely cespitose; leaves exceeding culms; spike 1(–2). | C. ursina |
6. Culms more than 10 cm; plants usually loosely cespitose; leaves usually shorter than culms; spikes 2–4(–6). | → 7 |
7. Culms often arching; leaves 1–2 mm wide, flat to channeled, gray-green; lateral spikes pistillate; perigynia gray-brown to pale brown at maturity. | C. glareosa |
7. Culms erect; leaves 1–3 mm wide, flat, green or gray-green; lateral spikes gynecandrous; perigynia brownish at maturity. | → 8 |
8. Culms smooth or nearly so; leaves green; perigynia brownish yellow, apex distinctly beaked. | C. lachenalii |
8. Culms rough distally; leaves gray-green; perigynia gray-green or at maturity brown, apex scarcely to distinctly beaked. | → 9 |
9. Spikes 3–4(–6), 5–10 mm, ovoid-globose; beak distinct. | C. heleonastes |
9. Spikes 2–3(–4), 3–6 mm, oblong-clavate; beak indistinct. | C. marina |
10. Terminal spike clearly clavate, staminate for at least 1/2 of length; pistillate scales equaling or exceeding, partly concealing perigynia. | C. mackenziei |
10. Terminal spike not or scarcely clavate, staminate for less than 1/2 of length; pistillate scales shorter than, not concealing perigynia. | → 11 |
11. Perigynia loosely spreading, distinctly beaked, with long, asymmetric abaxial suture conspicuous; leaves green to yellowish green. | C. brunnescens |
11. Perigynia appressed-ascending, very shortly to distinctly beaked, abaxial suture inconspicuous; leaves usually gray-green. | → 12 |
12. Perigynia 1.5–1.8 mm; scales tinged brown or chestnut-brown. | → 13 |
12. Perigynia 1.8–3.5 mm; scales hyaline with green center, usually tinged brown at maturity. | → 14 |
13. Spikes 5–8, proximal spikes separate, distal approximate. | C. bonanzensis |
13. Spikes 3–5, ± approximate. | C. praeceptorum |
14. Spikes closely approximate; scales somewhat concealing perigynia; perigynia often dark brown at maturity. | C. arctiformis |
14. Spikes, at least the proximal, remote; scales not concealing perigynia; perigynia usually light brown at maturity. | → 15 |
15. Leaves (1.5–)2–4 mm wide; perigynia 1.8–3 mm; beak with small marginal teeth. | C. canescens |
15. Leaves 1–2 mm wide; perigynia 1.7–2.1 mm; beak entire, without marginal teeth. | C. lapponica |
