Carex echinata
Prodr. Stirp. Gott., 76. 1770.
Culms 10–90(–135) cm. Leaves 3–6 per culm; sheaths tight, inner band hyaline, 1.8–2.5 cm, apex concave, glabrous; ligules 0.6–2.5(–4.5) mm, rounded to ± acute; blades plicate, 5–40 cm × 0.7–3.3(–3.8) mm, widest leaf 1–3.3(–3.8) mm wide. Inflorescences 0.7–7.8 cm; spikes (2–)3–8; lateral spikes pistillate often with few staminate flowers proximally, 3–15.5 mm, sessile, staminate portion 7-flowered, to 8.2 mm, pistillate portion 3–32-flowered, 2.5–11 mm; basal 2 spikes 1.7–42 mm apart; terminal spike gynecandrous, 5–24 mm, staminate portion 2–17-flowered, 2–16.5 × 0.9–2 mm, pistillate portion 4–26-flowered, 2.6–9 × 4.9–9.1 mm. Pistillate scales ovate, (1.4–)2.1–3.1 × 0.7–2.3 mm, apex acute to sometimes obtuse. Staminate scales ovate-lanceolate to ovate, 1.3–3.8 × 0.8–1.7 mm, base clavate, apex acute. Anthers 0.8–1.6(–2) mm. Perigynia spreading to reflexed, castaneous to dark brown, 2–14-veined abaxially, 0–12-veined adaxially over achene, lanceolate to ovate, (2.65–)2.9–4.75 × 0.8–2.1 mm, (1.7–)1.8–3.2(–3.6) times as long as wide; beak (0.85–)0.95–2 mm, (0.4–)0.45–0.86 length of body, serrulate, teeth (0–)0.15–0.5 mm. Achenes ovate-lanceolate to rhombic-ovate, 1.3–2.1 × 0.8–1.55 mm. 2n = 58.
Distribution
B.C., N.B., N.S., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Alaska, Calif., Colo., Conn., D.C., Del., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Maine, Mass., Md., Mich., Minn., Mont., N.C., N.Dak., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Nev., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., Tenn., Utah, Va., Vt., W.Va., Wash., Wis., Wyo., Mexico, Central America, Eurasia.
Discussion
Subspecies 3 (2 in the flora).
Selected References
None.
Key
| 1 | Inflorescences lax to dense, usually 2.5–8 cm; distance between basal 2 spikes usually longer than basal spike. | Carex echinata subsp. echinata |
| 1 | Inflorescences very dense, 1.2–2.5(–4) cm; distance between basal 2 spikes usually less than length of basal spike. | > 2 |
| 2 | Perigynia 2.9–3.6(–4) mm, often veinless over achene on adaxial surface; widest leaves 1–2.4(–2.7) mm wide; widespread. | Carex echinata subsp. echinata |
| 2 | Perigynia (3.1)3.5–4.75 mm, 2–12-veined over achene on adaxial surface; widest leaves (1.7–)2.3–3.3(–3.8) mm wide; west coast. | Carex echinata subsp. phyllomanica |