Carex praticola Rydb.

Meadow sedge (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Cyperaceae > Carex

Characteristics

Plants densely cespitose. Culms (16–)30–70(–95) cm. Leaves: sheath adaxially white-hyaline or summits often tinged brown or copper, U-shaped, not prolonged more than 2.8 mm; distal ligules 1–2.5(–3.5) mm; blades (2–)3–5 per fertile culm, 10–30 cm × (1.5–)2–3(–4) mm. Inflorescences usually open, often nodding, whitish, green, or gold to dark brown, occasionally beaded, (1.7–)2.5–5 cm × 10–15(–17) mm; proximal internode 4–14 mm; 2d internode (2.5–)4–10 mm; proximal bracts scalelike to bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences. Spikes 4–10, distant, distinct, oblanceloid to broadly ovoid, 8.5–20 × 3–9 mm, base acute to attenuate, apex tapered to truncate. Pistillate scales white, gold, coppery, or brown, with white or green to brown midstripe, lanceolate to broadly ovate, (3.4–)4.2–5.8 mm, equaling or longer than and narrower than or equaling perigynia, margin white, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex obtuse to acuminate. Anthers early deciduous ro short-persistent. Perigynia appressed to ascending-spreading, often hyaline, white, green, or gold, brown or coppery over achene, conspicuously (0–)4–11-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–4(–7)-veined adaxially, ovate or, sometimes, lanceolate, plano-convex or flat, (3.7–)4.5–6 × 1.2–2 mm, 0.5–0.8 mm thick, length 2.8–3.1 times width, margin flat, including wing (0.1–)0.2–0.4(–0.5) mm wide, ciliate-serrulate, without glossy metallic sheen; beak green or gold to red-brown or chestnut-brown, white-hyaline at tip, cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.4–1 mm, abaxial suture conspicuous with white-hyaline margin or inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (1.6–)1.9–3 mm. Achenes ovate or obovate, 1.4–2.1(–2.7) × (0.8–)1–1.5 mm, 0.4–0.6 mm thick. 2n = 76, 78.
More
Densely tufted, aphyllopodic, 3–8 dm; main lvs 2–4 mm wide, shorter than the stems; spikes 3–7, gynaecandrous, 7–18 mm, sessile in a slender, rather loose and flexuous, ± nodding spike; pistillate scales largely concealing the mature perigynia, except often beak-tip; perigynia loosely ascending-appressed, pale green to brownish (4–)4.3–5.7(–6) × (1.2–)1.3–2(2.1) mm, 2.6–4 times as long as wide, planoconvex, wing-margined and serrulate, evidently nerved dorsally, nerveless or nearly so (seldom evidently nerved) ventrally, the beak with a subterete, ± entire tip 0.5+ mm; achene lenticular, 1.7–2.2 mm. Meadows; Greenl. to Alas., s. to Que., n. Mich., N.D., and Calif. (C. pratensis, a preoccupied name)
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
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Mature height (meter) 0.3 - 0.7
Root system fibrous-root
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Hardiness (USDA) 4-9

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Cultivation

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Images

Carex praticola unspecified picture

Distribution

Carex praticola world distribution map, present in Canada, Colombia, Micronesia (Federated States of), Norway, Sweden, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:46918-2
WFO ID wfo-0000350258
COL ID RB9Z
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Carex furva Carex piperi Carex platylepis Carex praticola Carex pratensis Carex pratensis var. furva Carex praticola var. subcoriacea Carex praticola var. furva Carex pratensis f. furva Carex praticola var. praticola