Carex tahoensis

Smiley

Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 9: 119. 1921.

IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Carex eastwoodiana Stacey
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 355. Mentioned on page 344, 354, 356, 358.

Plants densely cespitose. Culms 15–45 cm. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits usually U-shaped; distal ligules 0.8–1.5 mm; blades 3–5 per fertile culm, occasionally folded, if not folded, margins revolute, 5–10 cm × 1.5–2.5 (–3) mm, thick, tough. Inflorescences dense to ± open, whitish, gold, or brown, (1.5–) 2–3 (–3.7) cm × 6–12 mm; proximal internode 4–11 mm; 2d internode 2.5–7 mm; proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences. Spikes 4–6, distant, distinct, lanceloid to ovoid, 10–15 × 4–6 mm, base tapered to attenuate, apex rounded to acute. Pistillate scales redbrown, with straw colored to tan midstripe, usually ovate, to 4–5 mm, equaling, covering at least perigynium bodies, margin white, 0.2–0.6 mm wide, apex obtuse to short-awned. Perigynia appressed or appressed-ascending, green, gold, or coppery, conspicuously 7–14-veined abaxially, conspicuously 3–8-veined adaxially, lanceolate or ovate to oblanceolate or obovate, planoconvex, (3.7–) 4.5–6 × 1.5–2.6 mm, 0.5–0.7 (–0.9) mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.4 (–0.5) mm wide; beak brown to gold or reddish, often white-hyaline at tip, ± cylindric, ± ciliate-serrulate for distal 0.2–0.7 mm, abaxial suture with white margin, or sometimes inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (0.6–) 1–2 mm. Achenes lanceolate to ovate or obovate, 1.9–2.4 × 1.2–1.6 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick.


Phenology: Fruiting summer–early fall.
Habitat: Grasslands, sagebrush slopes, open rocky and sandy slopes, subalpine and alpine meadows
Elevation: 600–3700 m

Distribution

V23 617-distribution-map.jpg

Alta., B.C., Yukon, Calif., Colo., Mont., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Carex tahoensis resembles C. phaeocephala somewhat, but often occurs at lower elevations, has longer achenes, and more coriaceous perigynia that are clearly veined adaxially.

Carex tahoensis was orginally described as a California endemic, but is much more widespread. The precise distribution is as yet unclear because of confusion with C. phaeocephala and C. petasata. Many reports of C. xerantica from the Rocky Mountain region are based on this species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number."+timesaslongasinflorescences" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."not undefined" is not a number.

... more about "Carex tahoensis"
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
lanceolate;ovate or obovate +
smaller +
0.5mm +  and 0.7mm +
bidentatate +
papillose +
obtuse;short-awned +
Joy Mastrogiuseppe +, Paul E. Rothrock +, A. C. Dibble +  and A. A. Reznicek +
Smiley +
persistent +
tapered +  and attenuate +
not enlarged +
ciliate-serrulate +
cylindric +
not folded +  and folded +
3 +  and 5 +
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 +
round +  and trigonous +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 m <br />) +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Yukon +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Mont. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
600–3700 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Grasslands, sagebrush slopes, open rocky and sandy slopes, subalpine and alpine meadows +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (3.7 cm37 mm <br />0.037 m <br />) +
brown +, gold +  and whitish +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
not prophyllate +, sessile +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
0.2mm +  and 0.4mm +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
3-8-veined +  and 7-14-veined +
coppery +, gold +  and green +
appressed-ascending +  and appressed +
0.5mm +  and 0.7mm +
Fruiting summer–early fall. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. +
adventitious +
straw colored +  and tan +
basal +  and proximal +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
herbaceous +  and membranous +
not differentiated +
cylindric +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
distinct +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
2-3(-4)-fid +
u--shaped +
Carex eastwoodiana +
Carex tahoensis +
Carex sect. Ovales +
species +
plant +  and cespitose +