Carex flacca Schreb.

Heath sedge (en), Laîche glauque (fr), Langue-de-pic (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Cyperaceae > Carex

Characteristics

Rather stiff blue-green tufts; rhizome far-extending. Stems (10)-25-50 cm high, ± terete to ± 3-angled, smooth. Leaves 2-3 mm wide, < stems, double-folded to ± flat, stiff, often curved, rather harshly scabrid; sheaths dark brown, often bright red-tinged. Inflorescence 5-10 cm long, of 4-6 dark brown, pedunculate spikes, terminal (1)-2-3 male, rest female, often a remote lowermost spike on an extremely long peduncle from near base of stem; subtending bracts leaf-like, ± = or > inflorescence. Male spikes ± 3 cm × 1.5 mm; glumes narrow, obtuse, dark brown with lighter brown midrib not reaching tip of glume. Female spikes 2-4.5 cm× ± 4 mm, often male at top; glumes < utricles, oblong-ovate, subobtuse, dark purple-brown with broad, lighter green to brown midrib. Utricles ± 2-2.5 × 1.5 mm, obovoid to ± orbicular, often inflated, papillose, red-tinged throughout or green with red patches, beak minute, orifice truncate, dark red. Stigmas 3. Nut ellipsoid, trigonous.
More
Culms obtusely trigonous, to 35 cm × 1.5 mm, scabrous distally. Leaves: sheaths with blades, to 2 cm, rough, fronts spotted red-brown apically, ladder-fibrillose, orifice red-brown, slightly prolonged beyond blade and sheath, leathery; blades 35 cm × 3 mm, margins rough; proximal blades blue-green, densely papillose. Inflorescences to 10 cm; peduncle of staminate spike to 2.5 cm; proximal bracts about equaling inflorescences; staminate spikes 1–3; pistillate spikes 2–3, to 4 cm × 4 mm. Scales red-brown with green midrib and hyaline margins, obovate, apex obtuse or with short mucro to 0.3 mm, equaling perigynia and narrower. Anthers to 2.5 mm. Perigynia ascending, green, spotted red-brown on distal 1/2, sessile, 2.2 × 1.4 mm; beak orifice purple-brown, glabrous. Achenes brown, 1.6 × 1.1 mm.
Vigorously colonial by creeping rhizomes, 2–6 dm; main lvs 2–5 mm wide; terminal spike staminate, 1–3 cm, long-peduncled; pistillate spikes 1–3 cm; pistillate scales ovate, with broad, pale midvein and brown sides, acute to short-acuminate or mucronulate; perigynia elliptic-obovoid, minutely hispidulous distally, nerveless or nearly so, even the lateral ribs inconspicuous, abruptly narrowed to a minute beak; achene rounded-trigonous, bent-apiculate. Native of Eurasia and n. Afr., intr. in fields and meadows from N.S. and Que. to Ont. and N.Y. (C. glauca)
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination anemogamy
Spread barochory hydrochory
Mature width (meter) 0.5 - 1.0
Mature height (meter) 0.25 - 0.5
Root system creeping-root rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) 0.53
Root diameter (meter) 0.4
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Light 3-8
Soil humidity 1-7
Soil texture 2-4
Soil acidity 5-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-8

Usage

Uses environmental use
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) 14 - 28
Germination temperacture (C°) 20
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -29
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Carex flacca habit picture by jean-michel lopez (cc-by-sa)
Carex flacca habit picture by Monteiro Henrique (cc-by-sa)
Carex flacca habit picture by Juliane Casquet (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Carex flacca leaf picture by PS 114 (cc-by-sa)
Carex flacca leaf picture by PS 114 (cc-by-sa)
Carex flacca leaf picture by Monteiro Henrique (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Carex flacca flower picture by Rudolf Eberli (cc-by-sa)
Carex flacca flower picture by Marianne Sterk (cc-by-sa)
Carex flacca flower picture by Dominique Vioux (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Carex flacca fruit picture by Diego Alex (cc-by-sa)
Carex flacca fruit picture by Diego Alex (cc-by-sa)
Carex flacca fruit picture by Yoan MARTIN (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Carex flacca world distribution map, present in Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Algeria, Spain, Finland, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), France, Micronesia (Federated States of), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Iceland, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tunisia, Ukraine, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:299756-1
WFO ID wfo-0000346645
COL ID R99F
BDTFX ID 13756
INPN ID 88510
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Carex glauca f. chlorocarpa Carex glauca f. leiocarpa Carex glauca f. pallida Carex glauca f. bulbosa Carex ambleocarpa Carex bulbosa Carex flacca Carex glauca f. algerica Carex flacca f. chlorocarpa Carex flacca f. melanostachya Carex flacca f. pallida Carex obtusangula Carex pendula Carex flacca subsp. claviformis Carex flacca var. dinarica Carex flacca var. oogyna Carex glauca var. rotundata Carex glauca var. alpina Carex glauca var. ambleocarpa Carex glauca var. arenosa Carex glauca var. aspera Carex glauca var. attenuata Carex glauca subsp. claviformis Carex glauca var. claviformis Carex glauca var. laxiflora Carex glauca var. leiocarpa Carex glauca var. melanocarpa Carex glauca var. murensis Carex glauca var. praetutiana Carex glauca subsp. praetutiana Carex glauca var. pubicarpa Carex glauca var. sphaerostachys Carex glauca var. subustulata Carex recurva subsp. parlatoreana Carex recurva subsp. praetutiana Carex serrulata var. corcyrensis Carex glauca var. thuringiaca Carex glauca var. stictocarpa Carex glauca var. genuensis Carex glauca var. dinarica Carex flacca var. silvatica Carex flacca var. basigyna Carex flacca var. laxiflora Carex flacca var. bulbosa Carex glauca var. bulbosa Carex flacca var. thuringiaca Carex flacca var. leiocarpa Carex glauca subsp. dinarica Carex flacca var. alpina Carex flacca var. erecta Carex glauca subsp. stictocarpa Carex glauca subsp. truncata Carex glauca var. flavescens Carex glauca var. gracillima Carex flacca var. attenuata Carex flacca var. glauca Carex glauca f. basigyna Carex glauca f. abbreviata Carex glauca f. aristolepis Carex glauca f. corcyrensis Carex glauca f. dinarica Carex glauca f. flavescens Carex glauca f. lemaniana Carex glauca f. leptostachys Carex glauca f. melanostachya Carex glauca f. micheliana Carex glauca f. pubicarpa Carex glauca f. scabra Carex glauca f. silvatica Carex glauca f. subrotunda Carex glauca f. subustulata Carex glauca f. tenuicula Carex glauca f. thuringiaca

Lower taxons

Carex flacca subsp. erythrostachys Carex flacca subsp. flacca