Carex gracillima

Schweinitz

Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 1: 66. 1824.

Common names: Graceful sedge carex filiforme
IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Carex gracillima var. macerrima Fernald & Wiegand
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Mentioned on page 438.

Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering-stems 0.5–1.1 mm thick, 20–90 cm, much longer than leaves at maturity, glabrous, but often scabrous within inflorescence. Leaves: sheaths glabrous or short-pubescent, basal few bladeless and maroon, others grading from maroon to green on back, pale brown-hyaline, red dotted and sometimes pubescent near apex; blades flat, 3–9 mm wide, glabrous, minutely scabrous on margins distally. Inflorescences: peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 40 mm, equaling spikes or usually somewhat shorter, scabrous; peduncle of terminal spike to 13 mm, glabrous or scabrous; proximal bracts shorter than inflorescences; sheaths 20–25 mm; blades 3–4 mm wide. Lateral spikes 2–5, 1 per node, well separated, drooping at maturity, pistillate with 10–45 perigynia attached 2 mm apart, linear, 10–70 × 2–3.5 mm. Terminal spike gynecandrous, 10–60 × 1–3 mm. Pistillate scales white-hyaline tinged with chestnut, broad green midrib often red dotted, sometimes scabrous, ovate to oblong, shorter than mature perigynia, apex rounded or cuspidate with ciliate awn less than 1 mm, otherwise glabrous. Perigynia green, usually red dotted, 2-ribbed and finely 8–12-veined, veins more obvious near base, ellipsoid to oblong-ovoid, loosely enveloping achenes, 2–3.7 × 1.3–1.6 mm, membranous, acute at base, tapering gradually to acute beakless apex, glabrous. Achenes substipitate, 1.2–2.6 × 1–1.2 mm. 2n = 50, 52, 54.


Phenology: Fruiting late spring–mid summer.
Habitat: Mesic to dry deciduous forests, including edges and openings, mixed conifer-hardwood forests, coniferous swamps, thickets, meadows, roadsides

Distribution

V23 853-distribution-map.jpg

Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Discussion

Two varieties of Carex gracillima have been named based on specimens with shorter stems, narrower leaves and smaller perigynia. Although detailed studies are lacking, these plants are more likely to be phenotypic responses to stressful conditions and do not warrant taxonomic recognition. Carex gracillima is common in a variety of forest habitats and has an intermediate blooming time among the eastern forest sedges. As a result, sterile hybrids with other species appear to be quite frequent and include: C. gracillima × aestivalis (= C. ×aestivaliformis), C. gracillima × hirtifolia (= C. ×sullivantii), C. gracillima × hirsutella, C. gracillima × virescens, C. gracillima × swanii, C. gracillima × castanea, and C. gracillima × arctata. Although none of the hybrids has been confirmed experimentally, at least the first four exhibit clear morphologic intermediacy and co-occur with the putative parental species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex gracillima"
54 +, 52 +  and 50 +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
trigonous +
1mm;1.2mm +
acute;rounded +
Marcia J. Waterway +
Schweinitz +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
rounded +  and tapering +
Hymenochlaenae +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
m--shaped +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 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 +
Graceful sedge +  and carex filiforme +
dark maroon +
round +  and trigonous +
Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Del. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Ky. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, N.Dak. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Vt. +, Va. +, W.Va. +  and Wis. +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br />) +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Mesic to dry deciduous forests, including edges and openings, mixed conifer-hardwood forests, coniferous swamps, thickets, meadows, roadsides +
apart +  and separated +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
red dotted +  and green +
ovate +  and oblong +
entire +  and bidentate +
red dotted +, pale brown-hyaline +, maroon +  and green +
scabrous +  and glabrous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
red dotted +  and green +
ascending +  and erect +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Fruiting late spring–mid summer. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
, +, suffused with maroon or suffused with chestnut-brown +, white +  and hyaline +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York +
adventitious +
white-hyaline tinged with chestnut +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
short-pubescent +  and glabrous +
cylindric +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex gracillima var. macerrima +
Carex gracillima +
Carex sect. Hymenochlaenae +
species +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.37 cm3.7 mm <br />0.0037 m <br />) +
tapering;acute;ellipsoid;oblong-ovoid +
membranous +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (?) +
plant +  and cespitose +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
not septate-nodulose +