Carex torta
in E. Tuckerman, Enum. Meth. Caric., 11. 1843.
Plants cespitose. Culms angled, 25–75 cm, glabrous. Leaves: basal sheaths red-brown; sheaths of proximal leaves glabrous, fronts lacking spots and veins, entire, apex truncate; blades 3–5 mm wide. Inflorescences: proximal bract subequal to inflorescence, 1–3 mm wide. Spikes erect or the proximal pendent; proximal 3–4 spikes pistillate, usually sessile, 2.5–9 cm × 4–5 mm, base attenuate; terminal 1–2 spikes staminate. Pistillate scales purple-brown to black, shorter than perigynia, apex acute, awnless. Perigynia divergent, green, veinless, somewhat flattened, tightly enclosing and distended by the achenes, ovoid, 2.3–4.7 × 1.1–1.8 mm, dull, apex acute, glabrous; beak green, often twisted, 0.1–0.3 mm, orifice oblique. Achenes not constricted, dull. 2n = 66.
Phenology: Fruiting Jun.
Habitat: Rocky streambeds, banks
Elevation: 0–1500 m N.B., N.S., Ont., Que.
Distribution
Ark., Conn., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mo., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., S.C., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va.
Discussion
A very common riverine species of eastern North America, Carex torta has an almost identical habit and habitat to the western C. nudata. Carex torta is, however, not a member of the C. stricta subgroup and has unusual green, glabrous perigynia that taper into a triangular, twisted beak with an obliquely bidentate orifice. Carex torta appears to be somewhat transitional to the Cryptocarpae group, based on the pendent spikes, sheath morphology, and large achenes.
Selected References
None.