Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains

62. Cyperaceae, the Sedge Family

2. Carex L. -- Sedge

49. Carex stipata Muhl. ex Willd. -- Saw-beak sedge

Densely tufted; culms concave-trigonous, slightly winged, 2-12 dm long. Leaves 4-8 mm wide; sheaths cross-rugulose ventrally, conspicuously septate-nodulose dorsally. Spikes bisexual, androgynous, aggregate or the lowest ones often separate, in oblong heads 3-10 cm long; bracts reduced, occasionally setaceous and exceeding the spike; pistillate scales acuminate to cuspidate, 1/2 to 3/4 as long as the perigynia. Perigynia yellowish-green to dull brown, plano-convex, ovoid-lanceolate, 3.5-5 mm long, 1/4 to 2/5 as wide, strongly several-nerved dorsally, strongly few-nerved ventrally, truncate-rounded at the base, tapering to a serrulate, bidentate beak which is 1/2 to 2/3 the length of the entire perigynium; achenes lenticular, 1.5-2 mm long; stigmas 2. Jun--Jul. Wet meadows, shores, stream banks and swamps; frequent in e and nc ND, e and s SD and most of NE; (Newf. to s AK, s to FL, TX and CA).


Carex stipata (from Hermann 1970).

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