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Mertens' Sedge

Carex mertensii J. D. Prescott ex Bong.

Comments

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Carex mertensii is represented in Japan and the Russian Far East by the vicariant C. urostachys Franchet [C. mertensii J. D. Prescott var. urostachys (Franchet) Kükenthal].
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 23: 403, 407 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Description

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Plants cespitose. Culms 30–80 cm, distally scabrous. Leaves basal and cauline, 4–8 mm wide; proximal leaves reduced to sheaths. Inflorescences: proximal bracts usually exceeding, occasionally shorter than, inflorescences; spikes separate, the proximal often distant, pendent, long-pendunculate, elongate, cylindric or clavate, 10–40 × 7–9 mm; lateral 4–6(–9) spikes pistillate; terminal spike gynecandrous. Pistillate scales dark brown or black to margins, ovate or lanceolate, conspicuously shorter and narrower than perigynia, midvein lighter colored than body, conspicuous, often raised, prominent, mucronate. Perigynia ascending, green becoming pale yellow or brown, faintly veined, ovate, 4–5 × 2.5–3.5 mm, apex gradually beaked, smooth; beak 0.3–0.4 mm, truncate or obscurely bidendate, smooth. Achenes filling proximal 1/2 or less of perigynia. 2n = 62.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 23: 403, 407 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee
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eFloras.org
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Distribution

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Alta., B.C.; Alaska, Calif., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Wash.; Asia.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 23: 403, 407 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee
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eFloras.org
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Flowering/Fruiting

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Fruiting Jun–Aug.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 23: 403, 407 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee
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eFloras.org
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Habitat

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Open forests, meadows, stream banks; 0–2000m.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 23: 403, 407 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee
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Synonym

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Carex columbiana Dewey
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 23: 403, 407 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee
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eFloras.org
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Comprehensive Description

provided by North American Flora
Carex mertensii Prescott; Bong. Mem. Acad. St.-Petersb. VI
2: 168. 1832.
Carex Columbiana Dewey, Am. Jour. Sci. 30: 62. pi. BB,f. 90. 1836. (Type from Columbia River.) Densely cespitose, the rootstocks very short, stout, the clumps large, the culms 3-10 dm. high, slender, erect, usually much exceeding the leaves, very sharply triangular with concave sides and narrowly winged, very rough on angles, aphyllopodic, purplish-red-tinged at base; leaves with well-developed blades 3-6 to a fertile culm, regularly disposed on the lower half, not bunched, the blades erect, flaccid, light-green, flat with slightly revolute margins, It <lm. long, 4-7 mm. wide, attenuate, roughened towards the apex, the sheaths rather Loose, cinnamon-brown-tinged, concave at mouth, the ligule very short; spikes 5—10, approximate, more or less strongly drooping on peduncles varying from much longer (the I hotter (the
upper) than the spikes, the peduncles slender, roughish, the spikes cylindric, 1-4 cm. long, 7-9 mm. wide, the lateral with a few staminate flowers at base, the terminal varying from staminate below to nearly all staminate, closely flowered except at base, the perigynia numerous, appressed-ascending in several to many rows; the lower 2 or 3 bracts leaf -like, sheathless or very short-sheathing, exceeding inflorescence; upper bracts much reduced; staminate scales oblong-obovate to lanceolate, acute to obtuse or mucronate, dark-purplishbrown with conspicuous, lighter-colored, nerved center and very narrow hyaline margins; pistillate scales ovate-lanceolate, acute or mucronate, similar in color, much narrower and much shorter than and nearly concealed by the perigynia; perigynia broadly ovate or obovate, 4.5-5 mm. long, 2.5-3.5 mm. wide, very thin and flattened save where distended over achene, glabrous, scarcely granular, very chartaceous, light-green, or becoming whitish or light-brown, purple-spotted, 2-ribbed (the marginal) and finely few-nerved, rounded at base, nearly sessile, short-tapering at apex, minutely beaked, the beak 0.25-0.5 mm. long, slender, purplish-tipped, entire or emarginate; achenes small, oblong-obovoid, 1.75-2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, much narrower and shorter than perigynia, strongly stipitate, triangular with sides slightly concave below, silvery-brown, apiculate, jointed with the slender style; stigmas 3, slender, very short.
Type locality: Sitka, Alaska.
Distribution: Rocky slopes, Yukon and southern Alaska to northern California, and eastward to Montana. (Specimens examined from northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, southern Alaska, western Yukon.)
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bibliographic citation
Kenneth Kent Mackenzie. 1935. (POALES); CYPERACEAE; CARICEAE. North American flora. vol 18(6). New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY
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Carex mertensii

provided by wikipedia EN

Carex mertensii is a species of sedge known by the common name Mertens' sedge. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Montana, where it grows in moist and wet habitat in mountain forests and meadows. This sedge produces clumps of stems reaching maximum heights between 80 and 120 centimeters. The leaves are small; those toward the bases of the stems are reduced to sheaths only. The inflorescence is a densely packed, bullet shaped cluster of overlapping flowers, mainly hanging on long peduncles. Each inflorescence is generally 2 to 4 centimeters long. Each of the flowers has a dark-colored bract.

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Carex mertensii: Brief Summary

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Carex mertensii is a species of sedge known by the common name Mertens' sedge. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Montana, where it grows in moist and wet habitat in mountain forests and meadows. This sedge produces clumps of stems reaching maximum heights between 80 and 120 centimeters. The leaves are small; those toward the bases of the stems are reduced to sheaths only. The inflorescence is a densely packed, bullet shaped cluster of overlapping flowers, mainly hanging on long peduncles. Each inflorescence is generally 2 to 4 centimeters long. Each of the flowers has a dark-colored bract.

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