Carex gracilescens

Steudel

Syn. Pl. Glumac. 2: 226. 1855.

Common names: Carex grêle
IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Carex laxiflora var. gracillima Boott
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 438. Mentioned on page 432, 437.

Culms densely tufted, ascending, lax or, occasionally, decumbent, 13–78 cm × 0.8–1 mm. Leaves: basal sheaths purple or purple-tinged; sheaths 2–42 mm; blades ascending or lax, erect, green or yellow-green, midrib developed adaxially, 2 lateral-veins abaxially, 19–38 cm × 1–5 mm, blades of overwintering leaves smooth. Inflorescences: peduncles proximal pistillate spikes to 11 cm, distal spike sessile; staminate spike 0.5–10.6 cm. Bracts 0.5–11.2 cm × 0.5–4 mm, angles of bract sheath denticulate; bract blade of distal lateral spikes linear, narrower than spikes, not concealing them; widest bract blade of distalmost lateral spike 0.5–3.4 mm wide. Spikes (3–) 4 (–5) per culm; lateral spikes 5–27 × 3–4 mm; internode between proximal scales in proximal spike 1.1–3.2 (–4.8) mm; terminal spike linear, 11–21 × 1–2.2 mm. Pistillate scales 2.8–3 × 1–1.2 mm, apex acute to aristate, awn to 1 mm. Staminate scales 3.5–4 × 1.2–1.5 mm, margins hyaline, purple-brown or brownish purple-tinged, apex acute. Anthers 2.6–3 mm. Perigynia 4–12 per spike, closely overlapping, aggregated, ascending, conspicuously (22–) 25–32-veined, elliptic-obovate, 2.8–3 × 1.5–1.8 mm, 1.8–2.7 times long as wide; beak abruptly bent, 0.2–0.8 mm. Achenes obovoid, 2.6–2.8 × 1.3–1.6 mm. 2n = 33, 38, 40.


Phenology: Fruiting spring.
Habitat: Moist to dry deciduous or mixed deciduous-evergreen forests or woodland edges in partial shade, frequently on limestone or chalk, on clay or marl soils, stream bottoms or on steep slopes
Elevation: 0–600 m

Distribution

V23 804-distribution-map.jpg

Ont., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., Md., Mass., Mich., Miss., Mo., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Discussion

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex gracilescens"
40 +, 38 +  and 33 +
0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br /> (0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br />) +
1.3mm;1.6mm +
denticulate +
0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
acute;acute;aristate +
Charles T. Bryson +  and Robert F. C. Naczi +
Steudel +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
purple-tinged;purple +
tapering +
Laxiflorae +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br />) +
yellow-green +  and green +
m--shaped +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (11.2 cm112 mm <br />0.112 m <br />) +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
Carex grêle +
purple +  and brown +
13 cm130 mm <br />0.13 m <br /> (78 cm780 mm <br />0.78 m <br />) +
round +  and trigonous +
0.8mm;1mm +
Ont. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Ky. +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Okla. +, Pa. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Va. +, W.Va. +  and Wis. +
0–600 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Moist to dry deciduous or mixed deciduous-evergreen forests or woodland edges in partial shade, frequently on limestone or chalk, on clay or marl soils, stream bottoms or on steep slopes +
19 cm190 mm <br />0.19 m <br /> (38 cm380 mm <br />0.38 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
prophyllate +, pedunculate +  and pistillate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2.7 cm27 mm <br />0.027 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
overwintering +
basal +  and cauline +
brownish purple-tinged +, purple-brown +  and hyaline +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
(22-)25-32-veined +
aggregated +  and overlapping +
not black-mottled +, yellowbrown +  and dark-brown +
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
1.8-2.7 times long +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
Fruiting spring. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
long-sheathing +  and leaflike +
awned +  and acute +
0.32 cm3.2 mm <br />0.0032 m <br /> (0.48 cm4.8 mm <br />0.0048 m <br />) +
Syn. Pl. Glumac. +
adventitious +
staminate +  and pistillate +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
cylindric +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (4.2 cm42 mm <br />0.042 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
not concealing +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.34 cm3.4 mm <br />0.0034 m <br /> (?) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (10.6 cm106 mm <br />0.106 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex laxiflora var. gracillima +
Carex gracilescens +
Carex sect. Laxiflorae +
species +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
plant +  and cespitose +