Carex tenera

Dewey

Amer. J. Sci. Arts 8: 97. 1824.

IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 371. Mentioned on page 370.

Plants densely cespitose. Culms often nodding, 20–90 cm, vegetative culms inconspicuous with few leaves clustered at apex. Leaves: sheaths abaxially hyaline, adaxially whitish mottled, summits U-shaped, shortly prolonged less than 2.8 mm beyond collar, smooth or sometimes papillose (at 30X); distal ligules 1–2 mm; blades 3–5 per fertile culm, 15–35 cm × 1.3–2.5 (–3) mm. Inflorescences often flexible and nodding, open, with elongate spikes, brown, (2–) 2.5–5 cm × 7–10 mm; proximal internode (4–) 7–17 (–20) mm; 2d internode (3–) 6–10 mm; proximal bracts scalelike or to 1 (–4) cm; rachis usually thin and wiry. Spikes 3–8, distant or loosely aggregated, ovoid to globose, 4–10 × 3.5–6 mm, base tapered or clavate, apex rounded. Pistillate scales white-hyaline or pale-brown with green to brown midstripe not reaching scale tip, proximal scales ovate, 2.3–3.3 mm, shorter by 0–1.6 mm and narrower than perigynia, apex obtuse on proximal scales, acute on distal. Perigynia erect to ascending, brown, conspicuously 5–7-veined abaxially, veinless or faintly 3–7-veined adaxially, ovate to broadly ovate, planoconvex, 2.8–4 (–4.5) × 1.4–1.9 (–2) mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, 2–2.3 times as long as wide, margin flat, including wing 0.1–0.5 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least distally; beak spreading, appressed or ascending; straw colored to reddish-brown at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene 1.3–2.7 mm. Achenes ovate, 1.3–1.7 × 0.85–1.1 mm, 0.5 mm thick. 2n = 52, 54, 56.

Distribution

V23 654-distribution-map.jpg

Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., N.S., Ont., Que., Sask., Conn., D.C., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Mass., Md., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., N.C., N.Dak., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Nebr., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.Dak., Va., Vt., W.Va., Wis., Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Perigynium beak appressed or ascending in spikes, exceeding pistillate scales by 0–0.8 mm; leaf sheaths at least sparsely papillose (30X). Carex tenera var. tenera
1 Perigynium beak spreading, exceeding pistillate scales by 0.7–1.6 mm; leaf sheaths smooth. Carex tenera var. echinodes

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

... more about "Carex tenera"
56 +, 54 +  and 52 +
smaller +
0.5 +  and 1.3-1.7×0.85-1.1 +
bidentatate +
papillose +
acute;obtuse;rounded +
Joy Mastrogiuseppe +, Paul E. Rothrock +, A. C. Dibble +  and A. A. Reznicek +
persistent +
clavate +  and tapered +
not enlarged +
ascending +, appressed +  and spreading +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
3 +  and 5 +
v--shaped +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
inconspicuous +
fertile +  and vegetative +
round +  and trigonous +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Conn. +, D.C. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, Maine +, Mass. +, Md. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, N.C. +, N.Dak. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Nebr. +, Ohio +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.Dak. +, Va. +, Vt. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +  and Wyo. +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
not prophyllate +, sessile +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
0.1mm +  and 0.5mm +
green +  and brown +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
3-7-veined +, veinless +  and 5-7-veined +
erect +  and ascending +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
0.4mm +  and 0.5mm +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
sheathless +  and bristlelike +
0-1(-4) cm;scale-like +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
0.23 cm2.3 mm <br />0.0023 m <br /> (0.33 cm3.3 mm <br />0.0033 m <br />) +
Amer. J. Sci. Arts +
adventitious +
pale-brown +  and white-hyaline +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
herbaceous +  and membranous +
not differentiated +
cylindric +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
aggregated +  and distant +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
ovoid;globose +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 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 +
prolonged +
papillose +
u--shaped +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br />) +
Carex tenera +
Carex sect. Ovales +
species +
ciliate-serrulate +
plant +  and cespitose +