Carex grisea

Wahlenberg

Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 24: 154. 1803.

Common names: Carex gris
IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Carex amphibola var. turgida Fernald
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 459. Mentioned on page 450, 457, 460.

Plants densely cespitose; rhizome internodes 1.2–2 mm thick. Culms dark purple-red to 2–3.2 cm high or rarely brown at base, 15–90 cm. Leaves: sheaths glabrous; blades green, widest blades (3.7–) 4.2–8.2 (–9.1) mm wide, smooth abaxially. Inflorescences 0.38–0.85 of culm height; peduncles of lateral spikes smooth or barely scaberulous; peduncles of terminal spikes 1.6–22 (–51) mm, usually barely exceeding lateral spikes; proximal bract sheath loose, abaxially glabrous, sheath front slightly concave to slightly convex, elongated 0.7–2.5 (–4.4) mm beyond apex; ligules (1.8–) 3–7.5 (–11.2) mm; distal bract slightly exceeding or rarely much exceeding terminal spike. Spikes (3–) 4–5 (–6), distal 2–4 overlapping; lateral spikes pistillate or rarely androgynous, with 3–19 perigynia, 5–31 × 6.7–11.4 mm, ratio of spike length (in mm) to flower number =1.6–2.1 (–2.8); terminal spikes 7–35 × 1.5–3.1 mm. Pistillate scales 4–8.2 × 2.1–2.6 mm, margins whitish, usually with redbrown speckles, entire, apex with awn 0.9–5.3 mm. Staminate scales 2.7–5 × 1.1–2.1 mm. Anthers 2.3–3.3 mm. Perigynia spirally imbricate, 52–64-veined, unwrinkled, narrowly ellipsoid to obovoid, orbicular or suborbicular in cross-section, (4.2–) 4.5–5.1 (–5.3) × (1.8–) 2–2.6 mm, 1.8–2.3 (–2.6) times as long as wide, lustrous, base very gradually tapered, apex gradually tapered; beak absent or straight, 0–0.2 mm. Achenes broadly obovoid to obovoid, widest at 0.6–0.66 (–0.7) of body length, (2.6–) 3.1–3.5 (–3.7) × 1.7–2.1 (–2.2) mm, loosely enveloped by perigynia; stipe straight, (0.2–) 0.3–0.4 (–0.5) mm; beak straight, (0.2–) 0.3–0.6 mm.


Phenology: Fruiting spring–summer.
Habitat: Mesic deciduous forests and forest openings, most often in sandy and calcium-rich alluvia on flood plains
Elevation: 10–400 m

Distribution

V23 844-distribution-map.jpg

N.B., Ont., Que., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Okla., Pa., S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Discussion

Carex grisea is a common and widespread species that grows frequently with C. amphibola and infrequently with C. corrugata. When growing near the other species, C. grisea usually inhabits sandier soils than them. Also, the usual habitats of C. grisea are less acidic than those of C. amphibola.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex grisea"
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.37 cm3.7 mm <br />0.0037 m <br />) +
0.21 cm2.1 mm <br />0.0021 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
0.31 cm3.1 mm <br />0.0031 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
broadly obovoid;obovoid +
smaller +
1.7mm;2.1mm +
0.23 cm2.3 mm <br />0.0023 m <br /> (0.33 cm3.3 mm <br />0.0033 m <br />) +
tapered +
Robert F. C. Naczi +  and Charles T. Bryson +
Wahlenberg +
0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br /> (0.53 cm5.3 mm <br />0.0053 m <br />) +
tapered +
Griseae +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
straight +
excurved +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
m--shaped +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
Carex gris +
0.51 cm5.1 mm <br />0.0051 m <br /> (0.53 cm5.3 mm <br />0.0053 m <br />) +
0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.51 cm5.1 mm <br />0.0051 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br /> (?) +
brown +  and dark purple-red +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +  and 3.2 cm32 mm <br />0.032 m <br /> (?) +
round +  and trigonous +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
rarely much exceeding terminal spike +  and exceeding +
N.B. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, Nebr. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Ohio +, Okla. +, Pa. +, S.Dak. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Vt. +, Va. +, W.Va. +  and Wis. +
10–400 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
1.6 +  and 2.1 +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Mesic deciduous forests and forest openings, most often in sandy and calcium-rich alluvia on flood plains +
0.38 +  and 0.85 +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br />) +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
yellowbrown +  and dark-brown +
1.8-2.3(-2.6) +
0.67 cm6.7 mm <br />0.0067 m <br /> (1.14 cm11.4 mm <br />0.0114 m <br />) +
Fruiting spring–summer. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
adventitious +
staminate +  and pistillate +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.21 cm2.1 mm <br />0.0021 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.44 cm4.4 mm <br />0.0044 m <br />) +
slightly concave +  and slightly convex +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
cylindric +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br /> (5.1 cm51 mm <br />0.051 m <br />) +
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
straight +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (?) +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex amphibola var. turgida +
Carex grisea +
Carex sect. Griseae +
species +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.31 cm3.1 mm <br />0.0031 m <br />) +
plant +  and cespitose +
4.2mm +  and 8.2mm +