Carex sect. Scitae

Kükenthal in H. G. A. Engler

in H. G. A. Engler, Pflanzenr. 20[IV,38]: 410. 1910.

Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23.

Plants cespitose or not, short-rhizomatous. Culms red, purple, or brown at base. Leaves: basal sheaths fibrous; sheath fronts membranous; blades V-shaped in cross-section when young, smooth or papillose. Inflorescences racemose with 2–5 (–9) spikes; proximal bracts leaflike or filiform, sheathless; lateral spikes pistillate or, rarely, androgynous in C. microchaeta, pedunculate, prophyllate; terminal spike staminate. Proximal pistillate scales black or dark-brown, not leaflike, less than 5 mm, apex acuminate or shortly awned. Perigynia erect or ascending, veinless or weakly veined on faces, with 2, strong, marginal veins, sessile, ovate, obovate, or nearly circular, compressedtrigonous or almost flattened in cross-section, base rounded, apex beaked, smooth or papillose, glabrous; beak 0.3–0.5 mm, entire, emarginate, or bidentate. Stigmas 3. Achenes trigonous, filling 1/2 or less of perigynia bodies; style deciduous.

Distribution

w North America, Asia (Russian Far East), Asia (Japan)

Discussion

Species 11 (4 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Perigynia broadly ovate or obovate to circular, smooth. Carex paysonis
1 Perigynia ovate or narrowly ovate, papillose. > 2
2 Leaves basal, proximal leaves with blades. Carex microchaeta
2 Leaves basal and cauline, proximal leaves reduced to sheaths. > 3
3 Lateral spikes pendent, long-pedunculate. Carex podocarpa
3 Lateral spikes: proximal one pendent and distal ones erect or spreading, short-pedunculate. Carex spectabilis

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex sect. Scitae"
trigonous +
papillose +  and smooth +
awned;acuminate +
David F. Murray +
Kükenthal in H. G. A. Engler +
rounded +
bidentate +  and emarginate +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
v--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 +
papillose +  and smooth +
brown +, purple +  and red +
round +  and trigonous +
w North America +, Asia (Russian Far East) +  and Asia (Japan) +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
prophyllate +, pedunculate +, , +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
sessile +, veined +  and veinless +
ascending +  and erect +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
filiform;leaflike +
in H. G. A. Engler, Pflanzenr. +
adventitious +
dark-brown +  and black +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
cylindric +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex sect. Scitae +
section +
plant +, not +  and cespitose +