Carex aestivalis

M. A. Curtis ex A. Gray

Amer. J. Sci. Arts 42: 28. 1842.

Common names: Summer sedge
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Mentioned on page 463, 464, 466.

Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering-stems 25–60 cm, usually longer than leaves at maturity, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, finely scabrous within inflorescence. Leaves: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, pubescent; others grading from maroon to green on back, pale brown-hyaline, red dotted and usually pubescent on front; blades flat, 1.5–3 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on both surfaces, especially near sheath, finely scabrous on margins. Inflorescences: peduncles of lateraal spikes 5–25 mm, shorter than spikes, glabrous; peduncle of terminal spike 5–25 mm, glabrous; proximal bracts often equaling or exceeding inflorescences; sheaths to 9 mm; blades 1–2 mm wide. Lateral spikes 2–4, 1 per node, well separated, erect or arching, pistillate with 15–30 perigynia attached 1 mm apart distally and 3 mm apart proximally, linear, 15–50 × 3–3.5 mm. Terminal spike gynecandrous, 20–35 × 1.5–3.5 mm. Pistillate scales pale hyaline, tinged with golden or reddish-brown, with broad green midrib, red dotted, oblongelliptic, shorter than mature perigynia, apex obtuse to cuspidate, glabrous. Perigynia green, copiously red dotted, 2-ribbed and finely 12–15-veined, loosely enveloping achene, ovoid-ellipsoid, 2–3.2 × 0.8–1 mm, membranous, base with short stipe, gradually tapering to acute beakless apex, glabrous. Achenes distinctly stipitate, 1.8–2.1 × 0.8–1 mm, stipe 0.5 mm. 2n = 56.


Phenology: Fruiting summer.
Habitat: Dry to mesic forests, seepage slopes, and meadows in the mountains
Elevation: 0–1600 m

Distribution

V23 855-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Ga., Ky., Md., N.Y., N.C., Pa., S.C., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va.

Discussion

Variants of Carex aestivalis with larger perigynia have been collected from Virginia and North Carolina. Carex aestivalis apparently hybridizes with C. gracillima and C. virescens.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number."thick" is not a number.

... more about "Carex aestivalis"
0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br /> (0.21 cm2.1 mm <br />0.0021 m <br />) +
trigonous +
0.8mm;1mm +
obtuse;cuspidate +
Marcia J. Waterway +
M. A. Curtis ex A. Gray +
gradually tapering +  and acute +
Hymenochlaenae +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
m--shaped +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
Summer sedge +
dark maroon +
round +  and trigonous +
Ala. +, Ga. +, Ky. +, Md. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Pa. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Vt. +, Va. +  and W.Va. +
0–1600 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Dry to mesic forests, seepage slopes, and meadows in the mountains +
apart +  and separated +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
arching +  and erect +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
entire +  and bidentate +
red dotted +, pale brown-hyaline +, maroon +  and green +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
red dotted +  and green +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.32 cm3.2 mm <br />0.0032 m <br />) +
ascending +  and erect +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Fruiting summer. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
, +, suffused with maroon or suffused with chestnut-brown +, white +  and hyaline +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
exceeding inflorescences +  and equaling +
Amer. J. Sci. Arts +
adventitious +
red dotted +, , +, tinged with golden or tinged with reddish-brown +  and pale hyaline +
basal +  and proximal +
oblongelliptic +
cylindric +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex aestivalis +
Carex sect. Hymenochlaenae +
species +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
plant +  and cespitose +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
not septate-nodulose +