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Carex brunnescens - (image 1 of 6)

Taxonomy

Family: Cyperaceae

Section Glareosae     

Habitat

Wet-mesic woods, bogs.

Associates

Distribution

Circumboreal, south to NJ, OH, MI, MN, and in mountains to NC.

Morphology

Tufted perennial to 60 cm. Leaves green, to 2.5 mm wide, more or less flat; bracts inconspicuous or the lowest setaceous-tipped and surpassing the spikes. Spikes 4-9, 4-8 mm, brownish or sometimes pale grayish or stramineous; perigynia mostly 5-10, ventrally nerveless or obscurely nerved, finely several-nerved dorsally, somewhat loosely spreading, the beak-apiculations (tips) interrupting the outline of the spike; sack thin distally and easily ruptured. Stigmas 2; achene lenticular.

Notes

Fruiting June to July

Wetland indicator: FACW

The specific epithet means "brownish", probably in reference to the color of the perigynia. A similar species, C. canescens (Grey Bog Sedge), has about 3 times more perigynia per spike with evident ventral nerves; canescens means "whitish" referring to the overall silvery appearance. 

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

Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.

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