Carex barbarae

Dewey in W. H. Emory

in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 231. 1859.

IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Carex laciniata Boott Carex lacunarum T. Holm
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 387. Mentioned on page 380, 386, 388.

Plants not cespitose. Culms obtusely angled, 30–110 cm, glabrous. Leaves: basal sheaths brown; sheaths of proximal leaves scabrous, fronts with redbrown spots or uniformly redbrown, prominently ladder-fibrillose, apex U-shaped, redbrown; blades hypostomic, 4–9 mm wide, coriaceous, papillose abaxially. Inflorescences: proximal bract longer than inflorescence, 3–8 mm wide. Spikes erect, the proximal pendent, sessile or pedunculate; staminate 2–3; pistillate 4–6; the proximal pistillate spike 3–10 cm × 5–6 mm, base attenuate. Pistillate scales redbrown, longer than perigynia, apex acute, scabrous, awned, awn to 2 mm. Perigynia divergent, dark pale-brown with redbrown spots on apical 1/2, faintly 3–5-veined on each face, somewhat inflated, loosely enclosing achenes, ellipsoid or obovoid, 3–4 × 2.2–2.5 mm, leathery, dull, apex rounded or obtuse, glabrous; beak redbrown, 0.5 mm, bidentate, orifice scabrous. Achenes not constricted, dull.


Phenology: Fruiting Jul–Aug.
Habitat: Wet meadows, fields, stream banks
Elevation: 0–1000 m

Discussion

A widely distributed, variable species, Carex barbarae is best identified using material with well-developed perigynia. Carex barbarae shares distinctive characteristics with C. obnupta, particularly the sessile, pendent, basally acuminate spikes, the leathery leaves, and the inflated, leathery, glabrous perigynia. Carex barbarae differs in having the scales awned and scabrous at the apex, and the perigynia faintly veined and dull brown, with a scabrous, firm, bidentate beak, all of which are similar to those of C. nebrascensis. Mature fruiting plants of C. barbarae have rarely been collected, suggesting that the species is largely sterile. The relationships among these three species merit investigation because the morphology and sterility of C. barbarae suggest that it may have a hybrid origin.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex barbarae"
biconvex +
not constricted +
ladder-fibrillose +
redbrown +  and redbrown spots +
, +  and papillose +
obtuse;rounded;acute;u--shaped +
redbrown spots +
Lisa A. Standley +, Jacques Cayouette +  and Leo Bruederle +
Dewey in W. H. Emory +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
not +  and fibrous +
attenuate +
bidentate +  and emarginate +
bidentate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
papillose +
m--shaped +  and v--shaped +
coriaceous +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
redbrown +  and brown +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (110 cm1,100 mm <br />1.1 m <br />) +
prophyllate +, subsessile +, pedunculate +  and staminate +
Calif. +  and Oreg. +
0–1000 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Wet meadows, fields, stream banks +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
dark pale-brown +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
spreading +, ascending +  and erect +
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
Fruiting Jul–Aug. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
short-sheathing +, sheathless +  and leaflike +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
pistillate +, staminate +, pedunculate +  and sessile +
in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. +
adventitious +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
ladder-fibrillose +  and veined +
cylindric +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex laciniata +  and Carex lacunarum +
Carex barbarae +
Carex sect. Phacocystis +
species +
, +  and staminate +
plant +  and not cespitose +