Carex careyana

SPECIES

1. KingdomPlantae
2. PhylumTracheophyta
3. ClassLiliopsida
4. OrderPoales
5. FamilyCyperaceae

Native toAlabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri

Plants densely cespitose. Culms lateral, lax, drooping, or decumbent, 34–62 cm × 1–1.2 mm. Leaves: basal sheaths purple, sheaths 15–29 mm; blades erect or ascending, green, midrib and 2 lateral veins strongly developed, 14–48 cm × 4–18 mm, older ones shriveling or dead at tips. Inflorescences: spikes (2–)3–(–4) per culm, scattered; peduncle of pistillate spike usually erect or spreading, rarely drooping, exserted 0–11.5 cm; bracts sheaths green, occasionally with purple traces, from middle and proximal portions of culms with blades 2.1–9.2 cm × 1–4 mm. Pistillate spikes proximal sometimes basal, 7–18 × 4–7 mm. Staminate spike 1, pedunculate, oblanceolate to linear, 8–20 × 2–3.5 mm. Pistillate scales keeled, 3.5–4.2 × 1.8–2.2 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline, occasionally purple tinged outward, apex cuspidate to acute. Staminate scales 4–6 × 1.8–2.2 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline, purple outward, apex obtuse. Anthers 3.4–3.7 mm. Perigynia 4–9 per spike, overlapping, finely veined, ovoid, 5–6.6 × 2.5–3 mm; beak tapering. Achenes broadly ovoid, 4.5–6 × 2.4–2.8 mm, slightly to distinctly concave at maturity, tightly fitting in perigynia. Style ascending through entire orifice. 2n

via GBIF · Kew POWO