Carex crawfordii

Illustrator: Susan A. Reznicek

Copyright: Flora of North America Association

Plants densely cespitose. Culms 25–60(–85) cm; vegetative culms with few leaves clustered at apex. Leaves: sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped; distal ligules 1.5–6 mm; blades (2–)3–4(–5) per fertile culm, 7–22 cm × 2–4 mm. Inflorescences erect, usually dense, green, gold, or dark brown, 1.8–3 cm8–14 mm; proximal internode 2–3(–5) mm; 2d internode 1–3 mm; proximal bracts bristlelike, shorter than or equaling inflorescences. Spikes 6–14, distant, distinct, ovoid to broadly ovoid, 8–10 × 4.5–6.5 mm, base and apex acute to truncate. Pistillate scales gold to dark brown, with whitish, green, or brown midstripe, lanceolate, 3–3.8 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex acuminate to short-awned. Perigynia ascending, white to gold or light brown, 0–5-veined abaxially, 0–4-veined adaxially, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, flat except over achene or, occasionally, plano-convex, 3.4–4.1(–4.7) × 0.9–1.3 mm, 0.15–0.35 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.1–0.2 mm wide, usually crinkled distally; beak brown or red-brown at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (1.8–)2.1–3 mm. Achenes ± elliptic, 1.1–1.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, 0.15–0.35 mm thick; style usually persistent, sinuate. 2n = 52, ca. 66, 70.

Phenology: Fruiting late spring–summer.
Habitat: Often in standing water, moist to wet places, open, sandy, dryish disturbed areas
Elevation: 100–1500 m

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Conn., Idaho, Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Oreg., Pa., Vt., Wash., Wis.

Discussion

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.