Carex rostrata

Stokes in W. Withering

in W. Withering, Bot. Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 2, 2: 1059. 1787.

Common names: Carex rostré
Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 507. Mentioned on page 502, 503, 504, 505, 515.

Plants colonial; rhizomes long. Culms terete or very bluntly trigonous in cross-section, 8–90 cm, smooth distally. Leaves: basal sheaths brown, occasionally tinged with pinkish red; ligules as long as wide; blades whitish green, U-shaped, with involute margins, widest leaves 1.5–4.5 (–7.5) mm wide, papillose adaxially. Inflorescences 10–30 cm; proximal bract 18–45 cm, exceeding but no more than 2.5 times longer than inflorescence; proximal (1–) 2–3 spikes pistillate, erect or the proximal ascending, ca. 20–150-flowered, cylindric; terminal (1–) 2–4 spikes staminate, well elevated beyond summit of separate pistillate spikes. Pistillate scales lanceolate ovate, 2.5–4.5 (–8.8) × 0.8–1.6 mm, mostly shorter than perigynia, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate (rarely acuminate-awned). Perigynia spreading, often green or straw colored, 9–15-veined, veins running into beak, ovate, 3.6–5.8 × 1.7–2.8 mm, apex contracted; beak (1–) 1.2–2 mm, bidentulate, smooth, teeth straight, 0.2–0.7 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes brown, symmetric, not indented, trigonous, smooth. 2n = 60.


Phenology: Fruiting Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Fens, especially in flarks in patterned fens, bogs and bog pools, lake and stream shores, often in shallow water or on floating mats
Elevation: 0–1600 m

Distribution

V23 943-distribution-map.jpg

Greenland, Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., N.S., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Mich., Minn., Mont., Wash., Wis., Eurasia

Discussion

Carex rostrata is infrequent and local in large portions of its range, often forming large colonies where found. Carex rostrata hybridizes with C. oligosperma and C. saxatilis; rare sterile intermediates with C. utriculata are likely hybrids. The vast majority of records of C. rostrata from North America are C. utriculata.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex rostrata"
trigonous;not indented +
awned +  and awnless +
not papillose +
acute;acuminate +
A. A. Reznicek +  and Bruce A. Ford +
Stokes in W. Withering +
tinged with pinkish red;brown +
not +  and fibrous +
truncate +  and rounded +
Vesicariae +
bidentulate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
emarginate +  and bidentate +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
whitish green +
u--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 rostré +
brown +, reddish-brown +  and reddish purple +
trigonous +  and terete +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
Greenland +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.W.T. +, N.S. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mont. +, Wash. +, Wis. +  and Eurasia +
0–1600 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Fens, especially in flarks in patterned fens, bogs and bog pools, lake and stream shores, often in shallow water or on floating mats +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
prophyllate +, pedunculate +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
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 (?) +
2.5+ times longer than inflorescence +
18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br /> (45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 m <br />) +
in W. Withering, Bot. Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. +
adventitious +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.88 cm8.8 mm <br />0.0088 m <br />) +
green +  and dark-brown +
basal +  and proximal +
ovate;lanceolate +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
septate-nodulose +
W1 +  and Illustrated +
pistillate +  and staminate +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
persistent +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex rostrata +
Carex sect. Vesicariae +
species +
straight +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.36 cm3.6 mm <br />0.0036 m <br /> (0.58 cm5.8 mm <br />0.0058 m <br />) +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (?) +
plant +  and colonial +
1.5mm +  and 4.5mm +