Carex sterilis

Willdenow

Sp. Pl. 4(1): 208. 1805.

Common names: Carex stérile
IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Carex elachycarpa Fernald Kobresia elachycarpa (Fernald) Fernald
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 327. Mentioned on page 326, 328.

Culms 10–75 cm. Leaves 3–5 per culm; sheaths tight, inner band hyaline, 4–13 cm, apex concave, glabrous; ligules 0.3–1.7 mm, rounded to obtuse; blades plicate, 7.5–25 cm × 1.2–2.6 mm, widest leaf 1.6–2.6 mm wide. Inflorescences densely crowded distally, often with basal spikes ± separate, 0.9–4 cm; spikes 3–8; unisexual with pistillate and staminate spikes on different plants; pistillate plants rarely with few staminate flowers; staminate plants sometimes with few pistillate flowers scattered on spikes or, occasionally, entirely pistillate spikes mixed with entirely staminate ones in same inflorescence; proximal 2 spikes 3.8–15.5 mm apart, lateral spikes 3–13.5 mm, similar to terminal spikes; terminal spikes 3.5–13.7 mm, usually unisexual, pistillate spikes 5–26-flowered, 4.5–7.2 mm wide, staminate spikes 6–31-flowered, 1.2–2.6 mm wide. Pistillate scales ovate, 1.8–2.9 × 1–1.8 mm, apex acute. Staminate scales ovate, 2.2–3.3 × 1.1–1.8 mm, base not clavate, apex acute. Anthers (1–)1.2–2.2(–2.35) mm. Perigynia spreading to reflexed, castaneous to almost black, 5–12-veined abaxially, 0–10-veined adaxially, ovate to deltate, 2.1–3.8 × 1.2–2.2 mm, 1.4–2.3(–2.7) times as long as wide; beak 0.65–1.6 mm, 0.45–0.8 length of body, setulose-serrulate, teeth whitish, 0.15–0.5 mm, soft. Achenes ovate to suborbiculate, 1–1.7 × 0.9–1.3 mm.


Phenology: Fruiting late spring–early summer.
Habitat: Fens, openings in white-cedar swamps, wet calcareous prairies, fresh interdunal meadows, calcareous seeps, lake and river shores, wet sunny limestone outcrops
Elevation: 0–800 m

Distribution

V23 581-distribution-map.jpg

Man., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), Nunavut, Ont., Que., Sask., Conn., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Pa., Tenn., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Discussion

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Carex sterilis"
A. A. Reznicek +
Willdenow +
Carex stérile +
Man. +, Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.) +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Conn. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, Tenn. +, Va. +, W.Va. +  and Wis. +
0–800 m +
Fens, openings in white-cedar swamps, wet calcareous prairies, fresh interdunal meadows, calcareous seeps, lake and river shores, wet sunny limestone outcrops +
Fruiting late spring–early summer. +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
Carex elachycarpa +  and Kobresia elachycarpa +
Carex sterilis +
Carex sect. Stellulatae +
species +