Carex vaginata
Flora 4: 557. 1821.
Plants colonial, long-rhizomatous. Culms 7–60 cm, ± smooth distally. Leaves: proximal sheaths bladeless, pale-brown, slender, 0.7–2.8 mm diam., not or only very sparsely papillose; ligules 2–4.5 mm, longer than wide; blades of vegetative culms 5–40 cm × 1.5–4 mm; those of fertile culms green, flat, less than 10 cm. Inflorescences 6.5–25 cm, 2–5 times longer than proximal bracts; proximal bracts 2.5–8 cm, sheath 1–3.5 cm, blade 1–1.5 cm; pistillate spikes linear, 0.8–3 cm × 3–6.5 mm. Pistillate scales purple-tinged, apex broadly acute or obtuse. Perigynia 3–15, the proximal loosely arranged, green to dark-brown, often obscurely veined, 3.5–5 × 1.5–2.2 mm, smooth; beak slender, cylindric, (0.4–) 0.6–1.8 (–2.2) mm. Achenes light to dark-brown, 2.2–3 × 1.2–1.5 mm. 2n = 32.
Phenology: Fruiting early–mid summer.
Habitat: Calcareous swamps, boggy thickets and woods
Elevation: 30–1600 m
Distribution
Greenland, Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Maine, Mich., Minn., Mont., N.H., N.Y., Vt., Wis., Eurasia
Discussion
M. L. Fernald (1950) pointed out that North American plants sometimes segregated as Carex saltuensis do not appear to be sufficiently distinct to warrant recognition as a separate species. T. V. Egorova (1999) recognized both C. saltuensis and C. vaginata, with two subspecies, in North America. More research is clearly needed on this complex circumpolar entity. The inclusion of C. vaginata in sect. Paniceae is uncertain. Unlike other members of the group, C. vaginata lacks papillae on abaxial leaf epidermis, peduncle, and perigynium.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
"shortened" is not a number.