Carex vesicaria

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 979. 1753.

Common names: Carex vésiculeux
Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 506. Mentioned on page 503, 505, 507, 510.

Plants cespitose; rhizomes short. Culms trigonous in cross-section, 15–105 cm, scabrous-angled distally. Leaves: basal sheaths reddish-brown to reddish purple, thickened, not spongy; ligules longer than wide; blades mid to dark green, V to W-shaped, widest leaves 1.8–6.5 mm wide, smooth. Inflorescences 7.5–45 cm; proximal bract 10–50 cm, exceeding but not more than 2.5 times longer than inflorescence; proximal 1–3 spikes pistillate, erect or the proximal ascending, ca. 20–150-flowered, cylindric; terminal 1–3 spikes staminate, well elevated beyond summit of separate pistillate spikes. Pistillate scales lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 2.4–5.8 × 1.2–1.7 mm, shorter than perigynia, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, awnless. Perigynia ascending, often green or straw colored, 7–12-veined, veins running into beak, ovate, (3.6–) 4–7.5 (–8.2) × 1.7–3.5 (–4.5) mm, 2–3.5 times as long as wide, papery, apex contracted; beak distinct, 1.1–2.6 mm, bidentulate, smooth, teeth straight, 0.3–0.9 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes yellow to pale-brown, symmetric, not indented, trigonous, smooth. 2n = 70, 74, 82, 88.


Phenology: Fruiting May–Aug.
Habitat: Swamps, wet thickets, wet depressions in forests, marshes, sedge meadows, bogs, stream, pond, and lakeshores, often in sites inundated in spring and dry during summer
Elevation: 0–3300 m

Distribution

V23 941-distribution-map.jpg

B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., Ont., Que., Calif., Conn., Ind., Ky., Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., N.H., N.Y., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., Utah, Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo., Eurasia

Discussion

Carex vesicaria hybridizes with C. saxatilis and, very rarely, with C. hystericina and C. utriculata.

Carex vesicaria as here treated broadly as a variable circumpolar species. K. K. Mackenzie (1931–1935) recognized a small segregate, Carex raeana Boott, but specimens referred here are either depauperate C. vesicaria or hybrids. T. V. Egorova (1999) recognized C. vesicaria as a Eurasian and North American species but also recognized a primarily North American C. monile, occuring locally in Asia as well. The two species were differentiated by characteristics of perigynium length and width, pistillate spike size, and beak and beak teeth size and proportions. The North American material is so variable in perigynium size and shape and inflorescence size that recognizing the two entities seems difficult. Further study of variation in North American material and the relationships of North American and Eurasian material are needed. Indeed, the complex is in need of detailed systematic study on a worldwide scale.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

... more about "Carex vesicaria"
88 +, 82 +, 74 +  and 70 +
yellow +  and pale-brown +
trigonous;not indented +
not papillose +
acute;acuminate +
A. A. Reznicek +  and Bruce A. Ford +
Linnaeus +
reddish-brown;reddish purple +
truncate +  and rounded +
Vesicariae +
bidentulate +
distinct +
emarginate +  and bidentate +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
round +, w--shaped +  and septate-nodulose +
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 vésiculeux +
brown +, reddish-brown +  and reddish purple +
scabrous-angled +  and trigonous +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (105 cm1,050 mm <br />1.05 m <br />) +
B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Calif. +, Conn. +, Ind. +, Ky. +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, N.H. +, N.Y. +, Ohio +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, Utah +, Vt. +, Va. +, Wash. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +, Wyo. +  and Eurasia +
0–3300 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Swamps, wet thickets, wet depressions in forests, marshes, sedge meadows, bogs, stream, pond, and lakeshores, often in sites inundated in spring and dry during summer +
7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br /> (45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 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 May–Aug. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
2.5+ times longer than inflorescence +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br />) +
adventitious +
green +  and dark-brown +
basal +  and proximal +
lanceolate;narrowly ovate +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br />) +
septate-nodulose +
Illustrated +
pistillate +  and staminate +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
persistent +
2-3(-4)-fid +
Carex vesicaria +
Carex sect. Vesicariae +
species +
straight +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br /> (0.82 cm8.2 mm <br />0.0082 m <br />) +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br />) +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (?) +
plant +  and cespitose +
1.8mm +  and 6.5mm +