Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains

62. Cyperaceae, the Sedge Family

2. Carex L. -- Sedge

38. Carex microptera Mack.

Tufted with short rootstocks; culms sharply trigonous, 3-10 dm long, surpassing the leaves. Leaves 2-6 mm wide; sheaths white hyaline ventrally. Spikes bisexual, gynaecandrous, 4-10, closely aggregated in an oblong to ovoid or suborbicular head 10-22 mm long; bracts much reduced, awn-tipped; pistillate scales light to dark brown with a light midrib, acute to obtuse, narrow and shorter than the perigynia. Perigynia light green to light brown, membranous, plano-convex, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3.5-5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, several-nerved dorsally, few- to several-nerved near the base ventrally, strongly wing-margined to the base, tapering to the dark brown beak; beak terete, serrulate, ca. 1/2 the entire length of the perigynium, obliquely cut dorsally, bidentulate; achenes lenticular, 1-1.5 mm long; stigmas 2. Jun--Jul. Wet meadows, stream banks and springs at moderate elevations in the Black Hills where it is common; (Alta. to B.C., s to SD, NM and CA; Mexico).


Carex microptera (from Hermann 1970).

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