Carex illota L.H.Bailey

Sheep sedge (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Cyperaceae > Carex

Characteristics

Plants densely cespitose. Culms 15–38 cm. Leaves: sheath summits white-hyaline, green ribbed, U-shaped, occasionally prolonged to 4 mm distal to collar; distal ligules 1–3(–3.5) mm; blades 2–4 per fertile culm, 4.5–18 cm × 1.5–2.5 mm. Inflorescences nodding, dense, dark or medium brown, 1–1.2 cm × 5.5–10 mm; proximal internode 1.3–3 mm; 2d internode 0.6–1.5 mm; proximal bracts scalelike to bristlelike. Spikes 3–6, usually individually indistinct, ovoid to broadly ovoid, 4.5–6.5 × 2.5–5.5 mm, base and apex acute to rounded; terminal spike without conspicuous staminate base. Pistillate scales dark brown, usually with pale or green midstripe, ovate, 1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, usually shorter, narrower than perigynia, margin occasionally hyaline gold, to 0.4 mm wide, apex obtuse or acute. Perigynia ascending-spreading to spreading, gold to dark brown, conspicuously 0–7-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–4-veined adaxially, ovate, plano-convex, 2.6–3.2 × 0.9–1.3 mm, 0.5–0.65 mm thick, margin unwinged, pithlike tissue usually present in proximal perigynia walls; beak medium or dark brown at tip, often with white-hyaline, cylindric to somewhat flat, abaxial suture with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.2–1.6 mm, entire. Achenes ovate to obovate, 1.2–1.5 × 0.8–1 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick. 2n = 64
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
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Mature height (meter) 0.15 - 0.4
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Environment

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Hardiness (USDA) 4-9

Usage

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Cultivation

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Images

Carex illota unspecified picture

Distribution

Carex illota world distribution map, present in Canada, Colombia, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:46370-2
WFO ID wfo-0000347639
COL ID R9SC
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Carex illota Carex dieckii Carex bonplandii var. minor