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Carex backii - (image 1 of 6)

Taxonomy

Family: Cyperaceae

Section Phyllostachyae  

Habitat

Dry, rocky woods and thickets, in acidic or calcareous soils. Rare in NY where it occurs mainly in limestone woodlands in the northern part of the state.

Associates

Distribution

Quebec to NJ, west to MN, NE, British Columbia, OR, and UT.

Morphology

Tufted perennial 5-30 cm; primary leaves 3-6 mm wide; staminate scales mostly 3, the margins connate to above the middle; pistillate scales green, wider than and nearly concealing the perigynia, the lower elongate and leaf-like, (1.5-)2-7 cm, the upper progressively reduced but still surpassing the perigynia; perigynia 2-5, turgid, rounded-trigonous, faintly nerved, 4-5.4 mm, rhombic-ovoid and obscurely beaked to subglobose or obovoid and with a smooth or obscurely serrulate beak to 2 mm; achene without a stylar apiculus.

Notes

Fruiting late May to early July

Wetland indicator: NA

An interesting sedge in that the bracts subtending the perigynia are large and leafy, giving the spikelets the appearance of a greenish flower.

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY

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