Western Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Carex scopulorum Th. Holm
- Family: Sedge (Cyperaceae)
- Flowering: May-August
- Field Marks: This species is recognized by its black scales subtending often blackish, ellipsoid perigynia with a minute beak.
- Habitat: Along streams, wet meadows, around lakes and ponds, open slopes. particularly in the mountains and sometimes above timberline.
- Habit: Perennial herb from elongated rhizomes, often sod-forming.
- Stems: Upright, triangular, up to 1 1/4 feet tall, without hairs.
- Leaves: Alternate, elongated, narrow, up to 1/4 inch wide, flat, not hairy, not surpassing the stems.
- Flowers: Male and female flowers borne separately in 3-6 spikes, the terminal spike nearly always male only, the lowest spike nearly always female only, the other spikes usually with male flowers above and female flowers below; spikes up to 1 1/
- Scales: Black-purple, shorter than the perigynia.
- Sepals: O.
- Petals: O.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Enclosed in a perigynium; perigynia ellipsoid, usually purple-black, up to 1/6 inch long, minutely beaked, smooth, without conspicuous veins; stigmas 2.
- Fruits: Achenes lenticular, up to 1/12 inch long.
- Notes: In some areas, this species seems to grade into C. aquatilis. The achenes are eaten by waterfowl.
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