Cyperaceae taxon details
Carex mendocinensis Olney ex Boott
1676247 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1676247)
accepted
Species
Carex cinnamomea Olney · unaccepted
Carex debiliformis Mack. · unaccepted
terrestrial
Boott, W. (1880). <i>Carex</i>. In: Watson, S. (ed.) Botany of California. Vol. 2: 224-253., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/19069778#page/246/mode/1up
page(s): 249 [details]
page(s): 249 [details]
Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–80 cm, much longer than leaves at maturity,...
Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–80 cm, much longer than leaves at maturity, 1–1.8 mm thick, glabrous but scabrous on angles, especially within inflorescence. Leaves: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, glabrous on back; others grading from maroon to green on back, brown-hyaline and usually red dotted on front, glabrous or often pubescent near apex; blades flat, 2.5–5.5 mm wide, usually less than 4 mm wide, glabrous or sparingly rough-hispidulous on 1 or both surfaces, margins scabrous, especially distally. Inflorescences: peduncles of proximal spikes 0–65 mm and finely scabrous; peduncle of terminal spike 0–12 mm, scabrous; proximal bracts equaling or exceeding inflorescences; sheaths 8–40 mm; blades 1–4 mm wide. Lateral spikes 3–5, 1 per node, well separated, erect or arching at maturity, pistillate with 20–45 perigynia attached 0.5–2 mm apart, rarely the distal staminate, linear to narrowly cylindric, 10–60 × 2.5–6 mm. Terminal spike staminate, rarely with a few perigynia, sessile or pedunculate, 18–38 × 1.2–4 mm. Pistillate scales with green midrib and broad pale hyaline margins suffused with reddish or golden brown, broadly ovate, shorter than mature perigynia, apex acute to rounded, sometimes cuspidate, margins ciliate distally, otherwise glabrous. Perigynia green to golden green, usually blotched or dotted with dark red, 2-ribbed and finely 12–15-veined, veins more obvious on abaxial side, loosely enveloping achene, oblong-lanceolate, 2.7–5 × 0.8–1.8 mm, membranous, base acute, apex tapering to beak, sparsely pubescent toward apex; beak minutely bidentate, 0.3–1 mm, ciliate between apical teeth. Achenes sessile, 1.6–2.5 × 0.9–1.5 mm. 2n = 56, 58, 60. [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex mendocinensis Olney ex Boott. Accessed at: https://www.cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1676247 on 2026-06-05
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2024-12-10 11:47:54Z
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Nomenclature
original description
Boott, W. (1880). <i>Carex</i>. In: Watson, S. (ed.) Botany of California. Vol. 2: 224-253., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/19069778#page/246/mode/1up
page(s): 249 [details]
page(s): 249 [details]
Other
additional source
Ball, P.W.; Reznicek, A.A.; Murray, D.F. (2002). Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. In: Flora of North America. Vol. 23. Oxford University Press, New York., available online at http://floranorthamerica.org/Cyperaceae [details] Available for editors 
[request]
additional source Kükenthal, G. (1909). Cyperaceae-Caricoidae. <em>Das Pflanzenreich: regni vegetabilis conspectus.</em> 38, 4(20)., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31618144
page(s): 580 [details]
[request]additional source Kükenthal, G. (1909). Cyperaceae-Caricoidae. <em>Das Pflanzenreich: regni vegetabilis conspectus.</em> 38, 4(20)., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31618144
page(s): 580 [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Additional information Occasional sterile hybrids between Carex mendocinensis and C. gynodynama are found where the species grow together. Specimens from the northern part of the range tend to have pubescent leaf sheaths and perigynia that taper more gradually to the beak. [details]Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–80 cm, much longer than leaves at maturity, 1–1.8 mm thick, glabrous but scabrous on angles, especially within inflorescence. Leaves: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, glabrous on back; others grading from maroon to green on back, brown-hyaline and usually red dotted on front, glabrous or often pubescent near apex; blades flat, 2.5–5.5 mm wide, usually less than 4 mm wide, glabrous or sparingly rough-hispidulous on 1 or both surfaces, margins scabrous, especially distally. Inflorescences: peduncles of proximal spikes 0–65 mm and finely scabrous; peduncle of terminal spike 0–12 mm, scabrous; proximal bracts equaling or exceeding inflorescences; sheaths 8–40 mm; blades 1–4 mm wide. Lateral spikes 3–5, 1 per node, well separated, erect or arching at maturity, pistillate with 20–45 perigynia attached 0.5–2 mm apart, rarely the distal staminate, linear to narrowly cylindric, 10–60 × 2.5–6 mm. Terminal spike staminate, rarely with a few perigynia, sessile or pedunculate, 18–38 × 1.2–4 mm. Pistillate scales with green midrib and broad pale hyaline margins suffused with reddish or golden brown, broadly ovate, shorter than mature perigynia, apex acute to rounded, sometimes cuspidate, margins ciliate distally, otherwise glabrous. Perigynia green to golden green, usually blotched or dotted with dark red, 2-ribbed and finely 12–15-veined, veins more obvious on abaxial side, loosely enveloping achene, oblong-lanceolate, 2.7–5 × 0.8–1.8 mm, membranous, base acute, apex tapering to beak, sparsely pubescent toward apex; beak minutely bidentate, 0.3–1 mm, ciliate between apical teeth. Achenes sessile, 1.6–2.5 × 0.9–1.5 mm. 2n = 56, 58, 60. [details]
Ecology Fruiting late spring–summer. Seepage areas, wet meadows, coastal prairies, springy slopes, mixed evergreen forest, associated with serpentine soils near the Pacific Coast; 100–1600 m. [details]
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (17 publications)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (20 publications) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (7 publications) (from synonym Carex debiliformis Mack.)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex mendocinensis)
To GenBank (7 nucleotides; 0 proteins)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex debiliformis Mack.)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex debiliformis Mack.)
To Plants of the World Online
To Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Carex cinnamomea K000795101 type 1) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Carex mendocinensis K000795102 type 1)
To Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Carex mendocinensis K000795103 type 1)
To US Herbarium (Carex cinnamomea US28457 type 1) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To US Herbarium (Carex cinnamomea US319228 type 1) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To US Herbarium (Carex mendocinensis US29453 type 1)
To US Herbarium (Carex mendocinensis US319264 type 1)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (20 publications) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (7 publications) (from synonym Carex debiliformis Mack.)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex mendocinensis)
To GenBank (7 nucleotides; 0 proteins)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex debiliformis Mack.)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex debiliformis Mack.)
To Plants of the World Online
To Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Carex cinnamomea K000795101 type 1) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Carex mendocinensis K000795102 type 1)
To Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Carex mendocinensis K000795103 type 1)
To US Herbarium (Carex cinnamomea US28457 type 1) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To US Herbarium (Carex cinnamomea US319228 type 1) (from synonym Carex cinnamomea Olney)
To US Herbarium (Carex mendocinensis US29453 type 1)
To US Herbarium (Carex mendocinensis US319264 type 1)
