Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains
62. Cyperaceae, the Sedge Family
2. Carex L. -- Sedge31. Carex laeviconica Dewey -- Smoothcone sedge
Loosely tufted from prolonged scaly rhizomes; culms stout, trigonous, 3-12 dm long. Leaves shorter than to surpassing the culm, 2-8 mm wide; sheaths glabrous, often purple-tinged below and splitting into a network of fibers. Spikes unisexual, the upper 2-6 staminate, 1-4 cm long, the lower 2-4 pistillate, erect, remote, sessile to short-peduncled, cylindric, 3-10 cm long, 6-10 mm thick; bracts leaflike, equaling to surpassing the inflorescence; pistillate scales acute to aristate, the body shorter than the perigynium, hyaline or brown on the sides. Perigynia greenish-yellow, subterete, inflated, broadly ovoid, 4.5-9 mm long, strongly many-nerved, tapering to a slender beak 1.5-2 mm long, the beak teeth 1-2 mm long, straight; achenes trigonous, 2-2.5 mm long; stigmas 3, the lower portion of the style straight and persistent on the achene. Jun--Jul. Wet meadows, marshes, shores, stream banks, ditches, springs and low wooded areas; e MT, ND s to sc NE, most common n; (Man. and Sask., s to MO, KS and MT).
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