Carex flaccosperma

Dewey

Amer. J. Sci. Arts, ser. 2, 2: 245. 1846.

IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 457. Mentioned on page 442, 449, 458.

Plants densely cespitose; rhizome internodes 1.2–2.8 mm thick. Culms yellowbrown at base, 10–60 (–75) cm. Leaves: sheaths glabrous; blades glaucous, widest blades 6.3–14.7 mm wide, smooth abaxially or sparsely antrorsely scaberulous on main veins. Inflorescences 0.40–1 of culm height; peduncles of lateral spikes smooth; peduncles of terminal spikes 0.7–20 (–51) mm, barely to much exceeding lateral spikes; proximal bract sheath loose, abaxially glabrous, sheath front apex truncate; ligules (3–) 4.7–9 mm; distal bract slightly shorter than to much exceeding terminal spike. Spikes 4–6, distal 2–4 overlapping; lateral spikes pistillate, with 12–39 perigynia, 11–41 × (5–) 5.7–8 (–9.6) mm, ratio of spike length (in mm) to flower number = (0.86–) 1–1.3 (–1.6); terminal spikes 6–34 × 1–3.2 mm. Pistillate scales 1.9–2.8 (–3.1) × (1.5–) 1.7–2.4 mm, margins whitish, entire, apex awnless or with awn to 0.6 (–1.6) mm. Staminate scales 3.8–5.3  1–1.8 mm. Anthers 1.6–2 mm. Perigynia spirally imbricate, 44–57-veined, unwrinkled, oblong-ovoid, (4–) 4.2–5.5 (–6) × (1.5–) 1.7–2.4 mm, (2–) 2.2–2.8 (–3.1) times as long as wide, obtusely triangular in cross-section, dull, base very gradually tapered, apex gradually tapered; beak absent or straight, 0–0.3 mm. Achenes obovoid, 2.5–3.4 × (1.3–) 1.4–1.6 (–1.7) mm, 0.37–0.5 times as long as perigynia, loosely enveloped by perigynia; stipe straight, (0.2–) 0.3–0.5 (–0.6) mm; beak straight or bent less than 30°, (0.1–) 0.2–0.4 (–0.5) mm.


Phenology: Fruiting spring.
Habitat: Wet-mesic deciduous forests, usually in acidic loams low in calcium, on flood plains and in swamps
Elevation: 0–200 m

Distribution

V23 840-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., Kans., Ky., La., Miss., Mo., N.C., Okla., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va.

Discussion

Carex flaccosperma is frequent, especially on the Coastal Plain west of Alabama. It grows frequently with C. caroliniana, C. corrugata, and C. crus-corvi and occurs occasionally with C. glaucodea. When C. flaccosperma and C. glaucodea co-occur, C. flaccosperma usually inhabits slightly wetter soils than C. glaucodea. Natural hybrids between C. flaccosperma and C. glaucodea form rarely and are sterile (R. F. C. Naczi 1991). Hybrids have been collected in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

No values specified."shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex flaccosperma"
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br />) +
smaller +
1.4mm;1.6mm +
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
with awn +  and awnless +
tapered +
Robert F. C. Naczi +  and Charles T. Bryson +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
tapered +
Griseae +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
straight +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br />) +
m--shaped +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
yellowbrown +
round +  and trigonous +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
Ala. +, Ark. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Kans. +, Ky. +, La. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, N.C. +, Okla. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +  and Va. +
0–200 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Wet-mesic deciduous forests, usually in acidic loams low in calcium, on flood plains and in swamps +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
0.47 cm4.7 mm <br />0.0047 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br />) +
yellowbrown +  and dark-brown +
(2-)2.2-2.8(-3.1) +
0.42 cm4.2 mm <br />0.0042 m <br /> (0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br />) +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br />) +
Fruiting spring. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
Amer. J. Sci. Arts, ser. +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br />) +
adventitious +
staminate +  and pistillate +
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.31 cm3.1 mm <br />0.0031 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br />) +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br />) +
cylindric +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5.1 cm51 mm <br />0.051 m <br />) +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
straight +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (?) +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex sect. Oligocarpae +
Carex flaccosperma +
Carex sect. Griseae +
species +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.32 cm3.2 mm <br />0.0032 m <br />) +
plant +  and cespitose +
6.3mm +  and 14.7mm +