Carex retrorsa

Schweinitz

Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 1: 71. 1824.

Common names: Carex réfléchi
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 508. Mentioned on page 503, 505, 513.

Plants cespitose; rhizomes very short or inconspicuous. Culms trigonous in cross-section, 10–105 cm, smooth distally. Leaves: basal sheaths dark reddish-brown; ligules longer than wide; blades mid to dark green, flat to W-shaped, widest leaves 3–10 mm wide, glabrous. Inflorescences 3–20 (–35) cm; proximal bract 19–70 (–100) cm, (2.5–) 3–9 times longer than inflorescence; proximal (2–) 3–6 spikes pistillate, ascending to spreading, at least the distal erect, ca. 20–150-flowered, cylindric; terminal 1 (–3) spikes staminate, slightly if at all elevated beyond summit of crowded pistillate spikes. Pistillate scales narrowly ovate, 2.4–4.5 × 1.1–1.8 mm, shorter than perigynia, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, awnless. Perigynia mostly reflexed at maturity, often green or straw colored, strongly 6–13-veined, veins running into beak, ovate, 6–10 × (1.6–) 2.1–3.4 mm, apex abruptly tapered; beak 2.1–4.5 mm, bidentulate, smooth, teeth straight, 0.3–1.1 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes pale-brown, symmetric, not indented, trigonous, smooth.


Phenology: Fruiting Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Swamps, wet thickets, often along streams, marshes, sedge meadows, shores of streams, ponds, and lakes
Elevation: 0–1900 m

Distribution

V23 945-distribution-map.jpg

B.C., Man., N.B., Ont., Que., Sask., Conn., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mont., N.Y., Oreg., Pa., Utah, Vt., Wash., Wis., Wyo.

Discussion

Very rarely, specimens appear to be intermediate between Carex retrorsa and C. lupulina or C. lupuliformis; they are likely hybrids.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex retrorsa"
trigonous;not indented +
not papillose +
tapered;acute;acuminate +
A. A. Reznicek +  and Bruce A. Ford +
Schweinitz +
dark reddish-brown +
not +  and fibrous +
truncate +  and rounded +
Vesicariae +
bidentulate +
emarginate +  and bidentate +
0.21 cm2.1 mm <br />0.0021 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
flat +  and w-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 +
Carex réfléchi +
brown +, reddish-brown +  and reddish purple +
trigonous +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (105 cm1,050 mm <br />1.05 m <br />) +
B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Conn. +, Idaho +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mont. +, N.Y. +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, Utah +, Vt. +, Wash. +, Wis. +  and Wyo. +
0–1900 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Swamps, wet thickets, often along streams, marshes, sedge meadows, shores of streams, ponds, and lakes +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
prophyllate +, pedunculate +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
longer than wide +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
straw colored +  and green +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Fruiting Jun–Aug. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
short-sheathed +, sheathless +  and leaflike +
70 cm700 mm <br />0.7 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
(2.5-)3-9 times longer than inflorescence +
19 cm190 mm <br />0.19 m <br /> (70 cm700 mm <br />0.7 m <br />) +
Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York +
inconspicuous +
adventitious +
green +  and dark-brown +
basal +  and proximal +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
septate-nodulose +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
pistillate +  and staminate +
ascending +  and spreading +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
persistent +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex retrorsa +
Carex sect. Vesicariae +
species +
straight +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br />) +
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (0.21 cm2.1 mm <br />0.0021 m <br />) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.21 cm2.1 mm <br />0.0021 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.34 cm3.4 mm <br />0.0034 m <br /> (?) +
plant +  and cespitose +
3mm +  and 10mm +