Carex phaeocephala

Piper

Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 11: 172. 1906.

IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 355. Mentioned on page 341, 342, 344, 345, 346, 354, 356.

Plants densely cespitose. Culms (5–) 15–45 cm. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped or rounded, often prolonged to 2.5 (–3) mm beyond collar; distal ligules 1.5–2.5 (–3) mm; blades 3–5 per fertile culm, often channeled, occasionally folded, becoming trigonous toward tip, 5–20 cm × 1–2.5 (–3) mm, if not folded, margins revolute. Inflorescences usually dense, stiff, gold to brown or brown and green, 1.5–3.5 (–4) cm × 10–15 mm; proximal internode 4–10 mm; 2d internode 2–5 mm; proximal bracts scalelike to bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences. Spikes (3–) 4–7, distant, distinct, ovoid to broadly ovoid, 12–15 × 5.5–8 mm, base rounded to attenuate, apex acute to truncate. Pistillate scales gold or brown, usually with pale to green midstripe, lanceolate to ovate, 3.7–5.1 mm, usually ± equaling and covering perigynia, margin white-hyaline, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex acute to acuminate. Anthers early deciduous or short-persistent. Perigynia ascending, greenish or pale gold to brown, conspicuously (0–) 4–9-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0 (–4) -veined adaxially, narrowly ovate to broadly ovate, flat or planoconvex, 3.8–5.2 × 1.5–2.3 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.3–0.5 mm wide, ciliate-serulate at least on distal body, not crinkled, without glossy metallic sheen; beak brown to redbrown or gold with white-hyaline tip, cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.6 mm, abaxial suture with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.8–2.2 mm. Achenes ovate to broadly ovate or, occasionally, elliptic, 1.5–2 × 0.8–1.1 (–1.2) mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick. 2n = 84.


Phenology: Fruiting summer.
Habitat: High-montane to alpine areas, usually rocky soils
Elevation: 1200–4000 m

Distribution

V23 616-distribution-map.jpg

Alta., B.C., Alaska, Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Reports of Carex phaeocephala from northern Canada are based on other species, mostly C. tahoensis.

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 phaeocephala"
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (?) +
,;ovate;broadly ovate +
smaller +
0.3mm +  and 0.5mm +
short-persistent +, deciduous +  and early +
bidentatate +
papillose +
acute;acuminate +
Joy Mastrogiuseppe +, Paul E. Rothrock +, A. C. Dibble +  and A. A. Reznicek +
persistent +
rounded +  and attenuate +
not enlarged +
cylindric +
not folded +  and folded +
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 /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
3 +  and 5 +
trigonous +  and channeled +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 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 +
round +  and trigonous +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Alaska +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
1200–4000 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
High-montane to alpine areas, usually rocky soils +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
gold +  and brown or brown and green +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
not prophyllate +, sessile +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
white +  and white-hyaline +
conspicuous +
not crinkled +
0.3mm +  and 0.5mm +
pale +  and green +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
0(-4)-veined +  and (0-)4-9-veined +
pale gold +  and brown +
0.4mm +  and 0.5mm +
Fruiting summer. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. +
adventitious +
brown +  and gold +
basal +  and proximal +
lanceolate;ovate +
0.37 cm3.7 mm <br />0.0037 m <br /> (0.51 cm5.1 mm <br />0.0051 m <br />) +
herbaceous +  and membranous +
not differentiated +
cylindric +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
distinct +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
ovoid;broadly ovoid +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
2-3(-4)-fid +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
prolonged +
rounded +  and u--shaped +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
Carex phaeocephala +
Carex sect. Ovales +
species +
white-hyaline +
plant +  and cespitose +