Carex geophila

Mackenzie

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 40: 546. 1913.

Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 537. Mentioned on page 489, 532, 533, 536.

Plants densely cespitose; rhizomes, horizontal to ascending, brown to reddish-brown, 0–9 mm, slender. Culms 3–22 cm, strongly scabrous distally; bases (remnants of old leaves) fibrous. Leaf-blades pale green, equaling or exceeding stems, 0.8–2.3 mm wide, coriaceous, glabrous abaxially, scabrous to papillose adaxially. Inflorescences with both staminate and pistillate spikes; peduncles of basal spikes stout, usually short, erect; peduncles of staminate spikes 1.1–8.8 mm; proximal nonbasal bracts scalelike, usually equaling or shorter than inflorescences. Spikes: proximal pistillate spikes 1–4 (basal spikes 1–2); cauline spikes overlapping or somewhat separated, with 5–15 perigynia; staminate spikes 6.9–16.9 × 1.4–2 mm. Scales: pistillate scales pale reddish-brown with broad white margins, ovate, 3–4.3 × 1.5–1.8 mm, equaling perigynia, apex acute or cuspidate to acuminate; staminate scales lanceolate, 4.8–6.8 × 1.5–1.6 mm, apex acute to acuminate. Anthers 2–3.1 mm. Perigynia pale green to yellowish-brown, veinless or faintly to 6-veined near base, globose to obovoid or ellipsoid, round in cross-section, 2.7–4 × 1.5–2 mm; beak straight, pale green, not strongly 2-edged, 0.4–1 mm, ciliate-serrulate, apical teeth 0.2 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes brown, globose to obovoid, round in cross-section, 1.6–2.8 × 1.5–1.9 mm.


Phenology: Fruiting late Apr–late Jul.
Habitat: Dry to mesic, open or shaded sagebrush, pine, juniper, oak, and aspen woodlands, slopes, canyons, and outcrops
Elevation: 1200–3700 m

Distribution

V23 1008-distribution-map.jpg

Ariz., Calif., Colo., N.Mex., Tex., Mexico, Central America (Guatemala)

Discussion

A collection from the Sierra Nevada in California appears to be Carex geophila. This population, as well as those from the San Bernardino Mountains, tentatively assigned to C. pityophila, should be re-evaluated in a revision of the western montane taxa.

Immature plants of Carex lativena S. D. Jones & G. D. Jones (sect. Hallerianae) from Arizona and New Mexico have been misidentified as C. geophila.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex geophila"
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br />) +
round;globose;obovoid +
1.5mm;1.9mm +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.31 cm3.1 mm <br />0.0031 m <br />) +
beaked +, awned +  and cuspidate +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
acute;acuminate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +
William J. Crins +  and Jeff H. Rettig +
Mackenzie +
rounded +  and tapering +
ciliate-serrulate +
straight +
bidentate +  and bent +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
v--shaped +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
separated +  and overlapping +
brown +  and red +
round +  and trigonous +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br />) +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +, Mexico +  and Central America (Guatemala) +
1200–3700 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Dry to mesic, open or shaded sagebrush, pine, juniper, oak, and aspen woodlands, slopes, canyons, and outcrops +
prophyllate +, pedunculate +, staminate +, , +  and pistillate +
scabrous;papillose +
exceeding stems +  and equaling +
0.8mm;2.3mm +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
faintly +  and veinless +
pale green +  and yellowish-brown +
0.27 cm2.7 mm <br />0.0027 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Fruiting late Apr–late Jul. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club +
brown +  and reddish-brown +
horizontal +  and ascending +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
adventitious +
staminate +  and pistillate +
pale reddish-brown +
basal +  and proximal +
lanceolate;ovate +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
cylindric +
Illustrated +
staminate +  and pistillate +
0.69 cm6.9 mm <br />0.0069 m <br /> (1.69 cm16.9 mm <br />0.0169 m <br />) +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.88 cm8.8 mm <br />0.0088 m <br />) +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex sect. Montanae +
Carex geophila +
Carex sect. Acrocystis +
species +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
stoloniferous +  and rhizomatous +
plant +  and cespitose +