Carex egglestonii

Copyright: Flora of North America Association

Plants densely cespitose. Culms 33–72 cm. Leaves: sheath adaxially white-hyaline or brownish tinged, occasionally only in very narrow band extending 2.5 cm proximal to collar; summit usually U-shaped; distal ligules 1–2.5 (–3.5) mm; blades 3–4 (–5) per fertile culm, 15–30 cm × (2.8–) 3–4.5 mm. Inflorescences dense, green and brown, gold and brown, or light-brown, (1.7–) 2–3 cm × 15–21 (–27) mm; proximal internode (2–) 3.5–7 (–11) mm; 2d internode 2–5 mm; proximal bracts bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences or occasionally leaflike. Spikes 4–5, distant, distinct, broadly ovoid, 11–16 × 6–12 mm, base rounded to attenuate, apex acute to truncate. Pistillate scales gold, redbrown, or chestnut-brown, sometimes with green to gold midstripe, lanceolate to broadly ovate, 4.7–6.7 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, margin white 0.1–0.2 (–0.4) mm wide, apex acute to acuminate. Perigynia ascending or appressed-ascending, green to gold, veinless on each face or, occasionally, 6-veined abaxially, broadly ovate, usually flat except over achene, (5.5–) 6–7.2 × 2.7–3.8 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, 1.8–2.3 times as long as wide, margin flat, including wing 0.5–1.1 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least distally; beak red-gold to redbrown, sometimes white-hyaline at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 3–4.3 mm. Achenes broadly ovate to broadly elliptic, (1.8–) 2–2.3 × (1.1–) 1.3–1.6 mm, (0.4–) 0.5–0.7 mm thick.

Phenology: Fruiting summer.
Habitat: Dry, open areas
Elevation: 2400–3700 m

Colo., Utah, Wyo.

Discussion

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa