Carex pulicaris
Species of grass-like plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carex pulicaris, the flea sedge, is a species of sedge in the genus Carex native to Europe.
| Carex pulicaris | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Carex |
| Subgenus: | Carex subg. Psyllophora |
| Section: | Carex sect. Unciniiformes |
| Species: | C. pulicaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Carex pulicaris | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description
Carex pulicaris is a small sedge, with stiff stems 10–30 centimetres (4–12 in) tall.[1] The leaves are 5–25 cm (2–10 in) long and less than 1 millimetre (0.04 in) wide.[1] The inflorescence comprises a single spike, with 3–10 female flowers towards the base, and male flowers towards the tip.[1][2] As the utricles mature, they bend away from the spike axis and become sensitive to touch; the way the seeds appear to jump from the stem gives rise to the plant's vernacular name.[1] Before the utricles have become deflexed, C. pulicaris closely resembles C. rupestris, with which it often grows.[1] It may also be confused with C. pauciflora, which usually bears only 2–3 fruit per stem.[2]
Distribution and ecology
Taxonomy
Carex pulicaris was first described in Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum. It is not known to hybridise with any other species.[1]
