Carex lasiocarpa

Ehrhart

Hannover. Mag. 9: 132. 1784.

Common names: Wiregrass carex à fruits tomenteux
Illustrated
Synonyms: Carex lanuginosa Michaux
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 497. Mentioned on page 492, 496.

Plants colonial; rhizomes long-creeping. Culms lateral, trigonous, 40–120 cm, smooth or nearly so. Leaves: basal sheaths reddish purple, fibrillose, bladeless, apex of inner band glabrous; ligules 1–2.5 (–3.5) mm; blades gray-green, proximal portion of blade involute or gutter-shaped, becoming narrowly triangular-channeled, blades of vegetative shoots prolonged to curled, filiform tip, midveins of blades and proximal bracts low and rounded, forming inconspicuous keel, 0.7–2 (–2.2) mm, glabrous. Inflorescences 6–20 cm; peduncles of terminal spikes (0.8–) 2–9 cm; proximal 1–2 (–3) spikes pistillate, ascending; distal spikes erect; terminal 1–3 spikes staminate. Pistillate scales lanceolate to ovate, apex acute to acuminate-awned, glabrous or, often, ciliate or finely scabrous-margined apically. Perigynia ascending, veins esentially concealed, broadly ellipsoid, 3–4.3 × 1.5–2.2 mm, densely pubescent, obscuring cellular details and veination; beak 0.5–1.1 mm, firm, bidentulate, teeth straight, 0.2–0.7 mm. 2n = 56.


Phenology: Fruiting Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Sedge meadows, fens, bogs, lakeshores, stream banks, usually in very wet sites and sometimes forming floating mats
Elevation: 0–1300 m

Distribution

V23 925-distribution-map.jpg

St. Pierre and Miquelon, B.C., Man., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Calif., Conn., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mont., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Pa., R.I., Vt., Va., Wash., Wis., Eurasia

Discussion

Carex lasiocarpa is a dominant of boreal wetlands, often forming huge stands. Large stands of the species are quite striking at a distance because of their pale straw color derived from the dried and faded, curly, filiform leaf apices of the vegetative shoots. Sometimes extensive stands occur without fertile culms.

The reported hybrids between Carex lasiocarpa and C. stricta require confirmation (J. Cayouette and P. M. Catling 1992).

North American plants have, on average, slightly smaller perigynia and shorter beak teeth than European and Asian plants and have been distinguished as subsp. americana (Fernald) Hultén.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"lengthofbody" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."shortened" is not a number."prolonged" is not a number.

... more about "Carex lasiocarpa"
trigonous +
smaller +
scabrous-margined +  and ciliate +
, +  and glabrous +
acute;acuminate-awned +
A. A. Reznicek +  and Paul M. Catling +
Ehrhart +
rounded +
bidentulate +
straight +
emarginate +  and bidentate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br />) +
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 +
Wiregrass +  and carex à fruits tomenteux +
involute +  and channeled +
red tinged +
trigonous +
40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br /> (120 cm1,200 mm <br />1.2 m <br />) +
with awn +  and acuminate +
St. Pierre and Miquelon +, B.C. +, Man. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Calif. +, Conn. +, Idaho +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mont. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, R.I. +, Vt. +, Va. +, Wash. +, Wis. +  and Eurasia +
0–1300 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Sedge meadows, fens, bogs, lakeshores, stream banks, usually in very wet sites and sometimes forming floating mats +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +
staminate +, prophyllate +, pedunculate +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
pubescent;,;glabrous +
septate-nodulose +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
thick-walled +, stipitate +, veinless or +  and 28-veined +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
Fruiting Jun–Aug. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
triangular-channeled +, gutter--shaped +  and involute +
Hannover. Mag. +
adventitious +
basal +  and proximal +
lanceolate;ovate +
ladder-fibrillose +
shorter or longer +
septate-nodulose +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
W1 +  and Illustrated +
staminate +  and pistillate +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex lanuginosa +
Carex lasiocarpa +
Carex sect. Paludosae +
species +
filiform +
straight +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.43 cm4.3 mm <br />0.0043 m <br />) +
ellipsoid +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (?) +
plant +  and colonial +