Carex platyphylla J. Carey - Broad-leaved Sedge


 

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Carex platyphylla - (image 1 of 3)

 

Taxonomy

Family: Cyperaceae

 

Section Careyanae 

Habitat

Mesic woodlands, often under maple and beech.

Associates

 

Distribution

ME and southern Quebec west to WI, south VA to MO and in mountains to NC.

Morphology

Tufted perennial to 40 cm; fertile stems lateral, roughened on the angle; sheaths and staminate scales pale green or brownish, not purplish; leaves glaucous (waxy), the larger ones over 17 mm wide; leaves of the sterile shoots mostly 10-25 mm wide, while those of the fertile shoots shorter and rarely over 6 mm wide; staminate spikelets pedunculate; perigynia trigonous, sharply triangular. 

Notes

Fruiting April to May

Wetland indicator: NA

The specific epithet refers to the wide leaves of this sedge: platy = broad, phyll = leaf. A similar species with non-waxy leaves, winged stems, and obtusely trigonous perigynia is C. albursina E. Sheld. Carex plataginea also has non-waxy leaves in addition to having mostly bladeless leaves on the fertile stems (culms).

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.

 

USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).

National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

 


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© Michael Hough 2004