Carex spissa

L. H. Bailey

Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 70. 1887.

Illustrated
Synonyms: Carex spissa var. ultra (L. H. Bailey) Kükenthal Carex ultra
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 423. Mentioned on page 420.

Culms obtusely angled, 110 cm × 5 mm, glabrous. Leaves: sheaths with redbrown spots, to 60 cm, backs green or red tinged, fronts membranous, apex concave to V-shaped; blades 120 cm × 7–18 mm, leathery, margins revolute, prominently keeled, antrorsely scabrous on margins and keel, glaucous when young, glossy adaxially, surface papillose abaxially. Inflorescences with 5–20 spikes, 25–80 cm; pistillate spikes 4–10, 3–13 cm × 10–12 mm. Scales redbrown with broad yellowbrown midrib, oblong, 3.5 × 1 mm, margins hyaline, apex acuminate or retuse, awn 0.5–3 mm, ciliate. Anthers 3–4 mm. Perigynia pale-brown, with uniformly distributed redbrown spots, somewhat flattened to strongly inflated distally, 3.5–4.8 × 1.5–2.5 mm, base cuneate, apex obtuse, somewhat glaucous; beak redbrown, flared, abaxially obliquely bidentately cut, 0.5 mm. Achenes dark-brown, stipitate, ellipsoid, 2 × 1.2 mm.


Phenology: Fruiting Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Stream banks, wet seeps, sometimes on serpentine
Elevation: lower than 600 m in Calif.

Distribution

V23 775-distribution-map.jpg

Ariz., Calif., N.Mex., Mexico

Discussion

Carex spissa has been divided into three taxa, distinguished in the extreme as C. spissa with glabrous, few-veined, strongly inflated perigynia; C. ultra with glabrous, veined, flattened perigynia; and C. seatoniana with hispid, veined, somewhat inflated perigynia and short-awned or acuminate scales. Intermediates between all three varieties are more frequent than the typical extremes (F. J. Hermann 1970). No consistent patterns of variation in perigynium or scale morphology can be determined or correlated with geographic distribution although considerable variation, particularly in perigynium morphology, is present. Further research based on analysis of variation at the population level may provide insights into relationships and differentiation within the problematic taxon. Carex spissa is distinguished from the related C. pringlei L. H. Bailey by the obovoid, rather than ovoid or elliptic, perigynia, and the abrupt, rather than tapering, beak as well as by habitat. Carex pringlei appears to be restricted to wet, saline soils and is not known from north of Mexico.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex spissa"
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
ellipsoid +
smaller +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
distributed +
redbrown spots +
3.5mm;4.8mm +
hispidulous +  and glabrous +
obtuse;cuneate;flattened;strongly inflated +
1.5mm;2.5mm +
Lisa A. Standley +
L. H. Bailey +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
red tinged +  and green +
distributed +
redbrown spots +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.48 cm4.8 mm <br />0.0048 m <br />) +
obtuse +, cuneate +, flattened +  and strongly inflated +
1.5mm;2.5mm +
cut +  and flared +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
120 cm1,200 mm <br />1.2 m <br /> (?) +
v--shaped +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
110 cm1,100 mm <br />1.1 m <br /> (?) +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, N.Mex. +  and Mexico +
lower than 600 m in Calif. +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
membranous +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Stream banks, wet seeps, sometimes on serpentine +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br />) +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
yellowbrown +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
sessile +  and veined +
spreading +  and ascending +
Fruiting Apr–Jun. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
prophyllate +, pedunculate +  and pistillate +
ladder-fibrillose +  and veined +
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts +
adventitious +
basal +  and proximal +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
cylindric +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
Illustrated +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (13 cm130 mm <br />0.13 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
persistent +
2-3(-4)-fid +
papillose +
Carex spissa var. ultra +  and Carex ultra +
Carex spissa +
Carex sect. Hispidae +
species +
plant +  and cespitose +