Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains
62. Cyperaceae, the Sedge Family
2. Carex L. -- Sedge16. Carex cristatella Britt.
Tufted from short rootstocks; culms sharply trigonous, 3-10 dm long, slightly shorter to exceeding the leaves. Leaves 3-7 mm wide; sheaths loose, green-striate dorsally and ventrally except for the V-shaped hyaline area at the mouth. Spikes bisexual, gynaecandrous, 5-12, globose or subglobose, 4-8 mm long, crowded in an ovoid to oblong head 2-3.5 cm long; bracts much reduced, inconspicuous; pistillate scales acute to acuminate, shorter than the perigynia. Perigynia widely spreading to reflexed at maturity, green to pale brown, plano-convex, ovate to lanceolate, 2.5-4 mm long, 1/3 to 1/2 as wide, faintly nerved on both sides, strongly winged above the middle, narrower-winged below the middle, tapered to the serrulate, bidentate beak which is 1/3 to 1/2 the total length of the perigynium, often notched or wrinkled at the base; achenes lenticular, 1-1.5 mm long; stigmas 2. Late Jun--Aug. Wet meadows, floodplains, shores and stream banks; frequent in the e part, less so in the c and w, primarily along river and stream courses; (NH and w Que. to se Man. and ND, s to VA, MO and NE).
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