Carex fimbriata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Carex fimbriata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Carex |
| Species: | C. fimbriata |
| Binomial name | |
| Carex fimbriata | |
Carex fimbriata is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to France, Italy and Switzerland.[1] The plant stands 10–40 cm tall that often spreads by short, rooting stems, bearing stiff, flat leaves about 2–3 mm wide which remain shorter than its flower stalks. Its 5–15 cm inflorescence carries 1–4 erect female spikes topped by 2–3 smaller male spikes, each fruit enclosed in a glossy, three-angled sac fringed with hairs.
Carex fimbriata is a tufted perennial sedge standing 10–40 cm tall. Individual plants often produce short, creeping stems (stolons), which root at their tips to form new shoots. At the base, the leaf sheaths are reddish-brown and smooth, without fibrous shredding. The flowering stems are sharply three-angled and feel slightly rough.[2]
The leaves are flat and stiff, about 2–3 mm wide, and remain shorter than the flower cluster (the inflorescence). The inflorescence itself is 5–15 cm long and typically bears 1–4 upright, cylindrical female spikes. These female spikes each hold many small flowers and sit on short stalks (peduncles), except for the lowest spike, which has a longer stalk and may droop slightly as it matures. Above the female spikes are 2–3 smaller male spikes. Leaf-like bracts subtend the spikes, and each individual flower is subtended by a scale (glume) that is sharply pointed, rust-coloured, and marked by a paler midrib.[2]
Each female flower is enclosed in a small sac known as an utricle—2.5–4.5 mm long, triangular in cross-section and distinctly veined. The utricle is glossy, its colour ranging from rust to nearly black, and bears a fringe of hairs at its tip that form two small "teeth". Within the utricle, the fruit develops atop three thread-like styles (stigmas). Chromosome studies show a diploid number of 2n=42.[2]