Carex duriuscula

C. A. Meyer

Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg Divers Savans 1: 214. 1831.

Illustrated
Synonyms: Carex eleocharis L. H. Bailey Carex stenophylla subsp. eleocharis (L. H. Bailey) Hultén Carex stenophylla var. eleocharis (L. H. Bailey) Breitung
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 304. Mentioned on page 303, 305.

Rhizomes 0.6–1.8 mm thick, shoots often arising 2–several per cluster, many nodes without shoots. Culms bluntly trigonous, (6–) 10–35 cm, smooth-angled distally. Leaves: basal sheaths grayish brown to dark-brown, shredding into fibers; sheaths with hyaline inner band, apex not prolonged beyond base of blade; ligules 0–0.8 mm, glabrous; blades 0.6–1.8 mm wide. Inflorescences 0.7–2 cm, 1/2+ as wide as long (if pistillate); spikes 3–8, androgynous, ovoid. Pistillate scales dark reddish-brown, with hyaline margins, broadly ovate, 2.4–4.1 mm, apex acute to acuminate, shiny. Anthers 1.4–3 mm, apiculus smooth to warty, very short and broad (30X). Perigynia dark reddish-brown, essentially veinless, ± stipitate, broadly ovate to nearly orbicular, thickly planoconvex, 2.4–3.9 × 1.5–2.1 mm, shiny; beak 0.3–0.9 mm, hyaline, weakly bidentulate or oblique.


Phenology: Fruiting Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Dry prairies, sagebrush grasslands, openings in dry forests
Elevation: 300–3300 m

Distribution

V23 529-distribution-map.jpg

Alta., B.C., Man., N.W.T., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Ill., Iowa, Kans., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nebr., Nev., N.Mex., N.Dak., Oreg., S.Dak., Utah, Wash., Wyo., Asia

Discussion

Carex duriuscula belongs to a difficult complex of temperate dry grassland species, and the North American plants are recognized here as conspecific with the Asian Carex duriuscula, following T. V. Egorova (1999). Compared to the Asian plants, the North American plants usually are taller [5–12(–20) versus (6–)10–35 cm] and the perigynia are larger [2.5–3(–3.2) versus 2.4–3.9 mm] (T. V. Egorova 1999). More work is still needed here. North American plants have often been treated as a variety or subspecies of the Eurasian C. stenophylla, which is quite different in having larger perigynia that are distinctly veined adaxially.

The species is sporadically introduced along roads and in railway yards east of its native range.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex duriuscula"
biconvex +
smaller +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
not prolonged +
acute;acuminate +
A. A. Reznicek +  and Paul M. Catling +
C. A. Meyer +
grayish brown;dark-brown +
not +  and fibrous +
rounded +
bidentulate +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br />) +
v--shaped +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
not wide +
smooth-angled +  and trigonous +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.W.T. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Ill. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, N.Dak. +, Oreg. +, S.Dak. +, Utah +, Wash. +, Wyo. +  and Asia +
300–3300 m +
stipitate +, veinless +  and veined +
ovate;narrowly ovate planoconvex or biconvex +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Dry prairies, sagebrush grasslands, openings in dry forests +
ovoid +  and cylindric +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br />) +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
stipitate +  and veinless +
dark reddish-brown +
0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br /> (0.39 cm3.9 mm <br />0.0039 m <br />) +
ascending +  and erect +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.21 cm2.1 mm <br />0.0021 m <br />) +
Fruiting Jun–Aug. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
cuspidate;scale-like +
short-awned +  and cuspidate +
Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg Divers Savans +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
adventitious +
dark reddish-brown +
basal +  and proximal +
0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br /> (0.41 cm4.1 mm <br />0.0041 m <br />) +
cylindric +
2;several +
Illustrated +
sessile +, pistillate +  and staminate +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex eleocharis +, Carex stenophylla subsp. eleocharis +  and Carex stenophylla var. eleocharis +
Carex duriuscula +
Carex sect. Divisae +
species +
plant +, colonial +  and not cespitose +