Carex canescens L. APNI* Synonyms: Carex curta Gooden. APNI*
Description: Rhizome short; shoots loosely tufted. Culms erect, trigonous, usually scabrous above, 5–30 (rarely to 50) cm long, 0.7–1.3 mm diam.
Leaves shorter than to equalling culms; blade 1.5–4 mm wide; sheath pale brown; ligule obtuse to rounded.
Inflorescence small, erect, 1–3 (rarely to 5) cm long, with 3–8 spikes solitary at nodes; lowest involucral bract shorter than inflorescence. Spikes sessile, ± contiguous, erect to spreading at maturity; spikes gynaecandrous, 0.5–0.9 cm long (uppermost spike occasionally with additional female flowers at the base). Glumes obtuse to acuminate, occasionally shortly mucronate, hyaline, often tinged yellowish, with green or pale brown midrib (often very faint); female glumes c. 2 mm long. Perigynia (utricles) ovoid to ellipsoid, strongly several-nerved, 2–3 mm long, 1.0–1.5 mm diam., minutely hispid and colliculate on shoulders and beak, yellow to yellow-brown; beak 0.2–0.5 mm long, with apex notched or shortly split abaxially. Anthers 1–1.5 mm long excluding appendage c. 0.1 mm long. Style 2-fid.
Nut ovoid to ellipsoid, lenticular in cross section, pale yellow-brown.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in damp alpine and subalpine flats; in the Mt Kosciusko area.
NSW subdivisions: ST
Other Australian states: Vic. Tas.
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (Aug 2016)
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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