Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges: An Introduction to the Genus Carex (Cyperaceae)

Common Wisconsin Species of Carex Subgenus Carex

Common Wisconsin Species of Carex Subgenus Carex 98 FIELD GUIDE TO WISCONSIN CARICES 1. CAREX JAMESII—GRASS SEDGE section Phyllostachyae After botanist, geologist, and military surgeon Edwin James (1797–1861), who discovered the species. Grass sedge and its relatives share a highly distinctive inXorescence. The terminal spike (illustrated here) is androgynous with a long, foliose lowermost pistillate scale that resembles the bracts subtending the entire inXorescence in other sections. Flowers May, fruits May to June, most perigynia falling by mid- to late July. Plants cespitose; rhizomes short; basal leaf sheaths brown, bladeless. Culms 5–40 cm tall. Leaf blades 1–5 mm wide. Lateral spikes 1–5, low, inconspicuous , on spreading or drooping stalks. Terminal spike androgynous; lowest pistillate scale long, foliose, 1.5–3 mm wide; staminate scales short, rounded, giving the staminate portion of the inXorescence a segmented appearance; staminate Xowers 5–12. Perigynia 1–4, 4–7 mm long; body globose; beak abrupt, approximately as long as the body. Habitat and state range. Mostly conWned to mesic forests in Dane, Green, and Rock counties, with outliers in LaCrosse, Grant, and Racine counties. The species is not common in the state but is tolerant of disturbance, growing in degraded and high-quality woods alike. Typical associates include basswood, red oak, sugar maple, Carex hirtifolia, C. hitchcockiana, puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale), false mermaid (Floerkia proserpinacoides). Similar species. This species is readily confused in Wisconsin only with Carex backii (Back’s sedge [2]), which is uncommon in dry to mesic forests of Dane County, Juneau County to LaCrosse County, Door County, and far northeastern Wisconsin . Back’s sedge has pistillate scales generally > 2.5 mm wide, surrounding and mostly concealing the perigynia, and the staminate portion of the inXorescence is relatively inconspicuous. Unispicate inflorescence of Carex jamesii, showing 2 perigynia with orbicular bodies and slender beaks, subtended by the distinctive foliose scales.The slender staminate portion of the spike is evident between the 2 perigynia. Common Wisconsin Species of Carex Subgenus Carex 99 3. CAREX PAUCIFLORA—FEW-FLOWERED BOG SEDGE section Leucoglochin Latin: few-flowered. The perigynia of this species are reminiscent of the precariously attached ripe fruits of jumpseed (Polygonum virginianum) or lop-seed (Phryma leptostachya ), and in fact they serve a similar purpose: at maturity they spring from the plant when broken off. The perigynia may also catch on fur or clothing, though adaptation for animal dispersal is better developed in some other sedge species. Flowers May to June, fruits June to July, most perigynia falling by mid-August. Plants loosely colonial; rhizomes slender; basal leaf sheaths brown, bladeless . Culms 10–40 cm tall, a secondary shoot commonly emerging from the lowest node. Leaf blades few per plant, to 1.5 mm wide. Spike androgynous, solitary; staminate portion erect, few-Xowered, conelike, slender. Perigynia 2–6, reXexed at maturity, lanceolate, 6–9 (occasionally 10) mm long, distinctly few-veined, base Wlled with spongy tissue. Habitat and state range. Sphagnum bogs in the northern third of Wisconsin . Associates include Carex canescens, C. limosa, C. paupercula, C. oligosperma, C. trisperma, grass pink (Calopogon tuberosus), leather-leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), sundews (Drosera spp.), cottongrasses (Eriophorum spp.), pitcher-plant (Sarracenia purpurea), small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus), and other typical northern bog species. Unispicate inflorescence of Carex pauciflora. The erect cone of staminate flowers is superficially similar to the 3 reflexed perigynia. 100 FIELD GUIDE TO WISCONSIN CARICES 4. CAREX LEPTALEA—BRISTLE-STALKED SEDGE section Leptocephalae Greek: slender, delicate. The solitary, few-Xowered, androgynous spike and distinctly veined, beakless perigynia of Carex leptalea are unmistakable. Flowers May, fruits June to July, perigynia falling in July and August. Plants cespitose, often forming mats; rhizomes slender, branching; basal leaf sheaths brown. Culms 0.1–0.7 m tall, slender. Leaf blades generally 2 per culm, Xat, to 1.5 mm wide, soft. Spike solitary, androgynous; staminate Xowers few, forming a short cone that emerges from among the perigynia. Perigynia 1–10, overlapping, approximately 3 mm long, distinctly and Wnely veined, tapering to a narrow, nearly stipitate base; apex blunt or rounded, beakless, dimpled. Habitat and state range. Bogs, fens, conifer swamps, occasional sedge meadows, and other peaty wetlands throughout Wisconsin, more common in the eastern half. Common associates include white cedar, tamarack, Carex brunnescens, C. canescens, C. interior, C. trisperma, sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), marsh fern (Thelypteris palustris), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris). Similar species. Carex leptalea is geographically wide-ranging and morphologically variable, and as a...