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Carex virescens - (image 1 of 6)

Taxonomy

Family: Cyperaceae

Section Porocystis

Habitat

Dry or mesic woods.

Associates

Distribution

ME to MI, south to NC, GA, and MO.

Morphology

Tufted perennial; stems 50-100 cm, reddish purple at the base, usually overtopping the leaves; main leaves 2-4 mm wide, hairy; terminal spike 2-4 m, pistillate above; pistillate spikes 2-4, erect, 2-4 cm, linear-cylindric, loosely flowered at the base, sessile or short-peduncled; bracts sheathless or nearly so, the proximal foliaceous, the upper much reduced; anthers 1.5-2.5 mm; pistillate scales ovate, short than to surpassing the perigynia, hyaline-margined, with green midvein, acute to cuspidate; perigynia obscurely trigonous, more or less ellipsoid, 2-3 mm, densely hairy, conspicuously few-ribbed, acute, beakless; achene concavely trigonous..

Notes

Fruiting May to June

Wetland indicator: NA

Resembles C. swanii but the spikes distinctly more elongate.

References

Ball, P.W. and A.A. Reznicek. 2002. Carex, In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, Eds. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 23. Oxford University Press, New York.

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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