Carex praegracilis

W. Boott

Bot. Gaz. 9: 87. 1884.

Common names: Carex très grêle
Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 305. Mentioned on page 280, 303, 304, 306.

Rhizomes coarse, 1.8–3 mm thick, typically with long, unbranched segments from which shoots arise singly every few nodes. Culms sharply trigonous, (10–) 25–80 (–100) cm, scabrous-angled distally. Leaves: basal sheaths dark-brown to nearly black; sheaths with hyaline inner band, apex not prolonged, glabrous; ligules 0.6–2.6 mm; blades 1–3 (–3.5) mm wide. Inflorescences elongate, 0.9–4 cm; spikes 5–18 (–25), usually unisexual; staminate spikes lanceoloid; pistillate spikes ovoid. Pistillate scales straw colored to pale reddish-brown, with hyaline margins, ovate, apex acute to acuminate-awned, dull to ± satiny. Anthers (1.8–) 2.2–3.9 mm, apiculus bristly hairy (30X). Perigynia brown to nearly black at maturity, essentially veinless, usually stipitate, ovate, planoconvex, (2.2–) 2.6–3.7 × 1.2–1.9 mm, dull; beak 0.7–1.2 mm, 1/4–1/2 length of body, apex ± hyaline, obscurely bidentate.


Phenology: Fruiting May–Aug.
Habitat: Wet to seasonally dry meadows, prairies, stream banks, lakeshores, springheads and seeps, openings in woodlands, ditches, roadsides, tolerant of alkaline soils
Elevation: 0–3400 m

Distribution

V23 532-distribution-map.jpg

Alta., B.C., Man., Ont., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nebr., Nev., N.Mex., N.Y., N.Dak., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., S.Dak., Utah, Vt., Va., Wash., Wis., Wyo., Mexico

Discussion

Carex praegracilis is extensively and recently spreading east of its native range, especially along expressways to which road salt is applied in winter (A. A. Reznicek and P. M. Catling 1987).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex praegracilis"
biconvex +
smaller +
0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.39 cm3.9 mm <br />0.0039 m <br />) +
not prolonged +
dull +  and more or less satiny +
bidentate;acute;acuminate-awned +
hairy +  and bristly +
A. A. Reznicek +  and Paul M. Catling +
W. Boott +
dark-brown;nearly black +
not +  and fibrous +
rounded +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
v--shaped +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
Carex très grêle +
not wide +
scabrous-angled +  and trigonous +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br />) +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, Maine +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, N.Dak. +, Ohio +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, S.Dak. +, Utah +, Vt. +, Va. +, Wash. +, Wis. +, Wyo. +  and Mexico +
0–3400 m +
stipitate +, veinless +  and veined +
ovate;narrowly ovate planoconvex or biconvex +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Wet to seasonally dry meadows, prairies, stream banks, lakeshores, springheads and seeps, openings in woodlands, ditches, roadsides, tolerant of alkaline soils +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
stipitate +  and veinless +
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
brown +  and nearly black +
0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br /> (0.37 cm3.7 mm <br />0.0037 m <br />) +
ascending +  and erect +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.19 cm1.9 mm <br />0.0019 m <br />) +
Fruiting May–Aug. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
cuspidate;scale-like +
short-awned +  and cuspidate +
0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
adventitious +
straw colored +  and pale reddish-brown +
basal +  and proximal +
cylindric +
Illustrated +
pistillate +  and staminate +
ovoid;lanceoloid +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex praegracilis +
Carex sect. Divisae +
species +
plant +, colonial +  and not cespitose +