Carex vaginata

Tausch

Flora 4: 557. 1821.

Common names: Carex engaîné
Illustrated
Synonyms: Carex saltuensis L. H. Bailey
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 428. Mentioned on page 425, 427.

Plants colonial, long-rhizomatous. Culms 7–60 cm, ± smooth distally. Leaves: proximal sheaths bladeless, pale-brown, slender, 0.7–2.8 mm diam., not or only very sparsely papillose; ligules 2–4.5 mm, longer than wide; blades of vegetative culms 5–40 cm × 1.5–4 mm; those of fertile culms green, flat, less than 10 cm. Inflorescences 6.5–25 cm, 2–5 times longer than proximal bracts; proximal bracts 2.5–8 cm, sheath 1–3.5 cm, blade 1–1.5 cm; pistillate spikes linear, 0.8–3 cm × 3–6.5 mm. Pistillate scales purple-tinged, apex broadly acute or obtuse. Perigynia 3–15, the proximal loosely arranged, green to dark-brown, often obscurely veined, 3.5–5 × 1.5–2.2 mm, smooth; beak slender, cylindric, (0.4–) 0.6–1.8 (–2.2) mm. Achenes light to dark-brown, 2.2–3 × 1.2–1.5 mm. 2n = 32.


Phenology: Fruiting early–mid summer.
Habitat: Calcareous swamps, boggy thickets and woods
Elevation: 30–1600 m

Distribution

V23 782-distribution-map.jpg

Greenland, Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Maine, Mich., Minn., Mont., N.H., N.Y., Vt., Wis., Eurasia

Discussion

M. L. Fernald (1950) pointed out that North American plants sometimes segregated as Carex saltuensis do not appear to be sufficiently distinct to warrant recognition as a separate species. T. V. Egorova (1999) recognized both C. saltuensis and C. vaginata, with two subspecies, in North America. More research is clearly needed on this complex circumpolar entity. The inclusion of C. vaginata in sect. Paniceae is uncertain. Unlike other members of the group, C. vaginata lacks papillae on abaxial leaf epidermis, peduncle, and perigynium.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex vaginata"
light +  and dark-brown +
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
trigonous +
smaller +
1.2mm;1.5mm +
not septate-nodulose +
not +  and beaked +
papillose +  and smooth +
obtuse;acute +
Paul E. Rothrock +  and A. A. Reznicek +
Tausch +
tapering +
0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
cylindric +
slender +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
m--shaped +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +  and 1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
Carex engaîné +
purple +  and brown +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
fertile +  and vegetative +
round +  and trigonous +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
Greenland +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Maine +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mont. +, N.H. +, N.Y. +, Vt. +, Wis. +  and Eurasia +
30–1600 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Calcareous swamps, boggy thickets and woods +
2-5 times longer than proximal bracts +
6.5 cm65 mm <br />0.065 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
prophyllate +, pedunculate +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
longer than wide +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
bidentate +  and entire +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
sessile +  and veined +
yellowbrown +  and dark-brown +
ascending +  and spreading +
Fruiting early–mid summer. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
long-sheathing +  and leaflike +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br />) +
adventitious +
purple-tinged +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
cylindric +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
Illustrated +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.65 cm6.5 mm <br />0.0065 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex saltuensis +
Carex vaginata +
Carex sect. Paniceae +
species +
plant +  and colonial +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +