Cyperaceae taxon details
Carex debilis Michx.
1676797 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1676797)
accepted
Species
Carex debilis var. typica Fernald · unaccepted
- Variety Carex debilis var. debilis
- Variety Carex debilis var. rudgei L.H.Bailey
- Variety Carex debilis var. boott Michx. (uncertain > unassessed)
- Subspecies Carex debilis subsp. pubera (A.Gray) Ã.Löve & D.Löve accepted as Carex debilis var. debilis
- Subspecies Carex debilis subsp. rudgei (L.H.Bailey) Ã.Löve & D.Löve accepted as Carex debilis var. rudgei L.H.Bailey
- Variety Carex debilis var. intercursa Fernald accepted as Carex debilis var. debilis
- Variety Carex debilis var. interjecta L.H.Bailey accepted as Carex debilis var. rudgei L.H.Bailey
- Variety Carex debilis var. prolixa L.H.Bailey accepted as Carex debilis var. debilis
- Variety Carex debilis var. pubera A.Gray accepted as Carex debilis var. debilis
- Variety Carex debilis var. strictior L.H.Bailey accepted as Carex debilis var. rudgei L.H.Bailey
- Variety Carex debilis var. typica Fernald accepted as Carex debilis Michx.
terrestrial
Michaux, A. (1803). Flora boreali-americana. 2., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/410840#page/3/mode/1up
page(s): 172 [details]
page(s): 172 [details]
Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–100 cm, as long as leaves at maturity or often...
Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–100 cm, as long as leaves at maturity or often longer, 0.5–1 mm thick, glabrous but scabrous within inflorescence. Leaves: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, glabrous or rarely minutely pubescent; others grading from maroon to green on back, pale brown-hyaline or reddish brown on front, often red dotted, sometimes finely pubescent; blades flat, 2–7 mm wide, glabrous on both surfaces, margins and abaxial midribs often finely scabrous. Inflorescences: peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 50 mm, usually shorter than spikes or only slightly longer, scabrous; of terminal spike 15–50 mm, finely scabrous; proximal bracts longer, or more often, shorter than inflorescences; sheaths 1–7 cm; blades 1–3.5 mm wide. Lateral spikes 2–5, 1 per node, well separated, erect at anthesis, soon nodding, pistillate with 10–25 perigynia attached 2–9 mm apart, linear, 25–80 × 2–3 mm. Terminal spike staminate or sometimes gynecandrous with a few pistillate flowers distally; 15–50 × 0.6–1.2 mm. Pistillate scales white-hyaline, sometimes tinged with pale brown or suffused with chestnut, with broad green midrib, finely red dotted, oblong, 2.8–6 mm, much shorter than mature perigynia, apex obtuse, acute or cuspidate, awn to 0.2 mm, glabrous, distal margin ciliate. Perigynia green to olive-green, usually red dotted, prominently 2-ribbed, finely 12–20-veined, loosely enveloping achene, fusiform to lance-ovoid, 5–9.5 × 1.1–2.2 mm, membranous, base acute, apex tapering gradually to abruptly contracted beak, glabrous or short-pubescent; beak bidentate 0.7–2 mm, including teeth to 1 mm. Achenes stipitate, 1.9–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, stipe 0.5–1.5 mm. [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex debilis Michx.. Accessed at: https://www.cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1676797 on 2026-05-23
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2024-12-10 11:47:54Z
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Nomenclature
original description
Michaux, A. (1803). Flora boreali-americana. 2., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/410840#page/3/mode/1up
page(s): 172 [details]
page(s): 172 [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]
[request]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Additional information Carex debilis is extremely variable and has been variously subdivided into as many as six varieties or three subspecies. Only two weakly differentiated varieties can be maintained: the typical variety with broadly southern distribution and C. debilis var. rudgei, which replaces it in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the eastern mountains. Both varieties appear to hybridize with C. virescens but these hybrids have not been studied to confirm parentage. [details]Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–100 cm, as long as leaves at maturity or often longer, 0.5–1 mm thick, glabrous but scabrous within inflorescence. Leaves: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, glabrous or rarely minutely pubescent; others grading from maroon to green on back, pale brown-hyaline or reddish brown on front, often red dotted, sometimes finely pubescent; blades flat, 2–7 mm wide, glabrous on both surfaces, margins and abaxial midribs often finely scabrous. Inflorescences: peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 50 mm, usually shorter than spikes or only slightly longer, scabrous; of terminal spike 15–50 mm, finely scabrous; proximal bracts longer, or more often, shorter than inflorescences; sheaths 1–7 cm; blades 1–3.5 mm wide. Lateral spikes 2–5, 1 per node, well separated, erect at anthesis, soon nodding, pistillate with 10–25 perigynia attached 2–9 mm apart, linear, 25–80 × 2–3 mm. Terminal spike staminate or sometimes gynecandrous with a few pistillate flowers distally; 15–50 × 0.6–1.2 mm. Pistillate scales white-hyaline, sometimes tinged with pale brown or suffused with chestnut, with broad green midrib, finely red dotted, oblong, 2.8–6 mm, much shorter than mature perigynia, apex obtuse, acute or cuspidate, awn to 0.2 mm, glabrous, distal margin ciliate. Perigynia green to olive-green, usually red dotted, prominently 2-ribbed, finely 12–20-veined, loosely enveloping achene, fusiform to lance-ovoid, 5–9.5 × 1.1–2.2 mm, membranous, base acute, apex tapering gradually to abruptly contracted beak, glabrous or short-pubescent; beak bidentate 0.7–2 mm, including teeth to 1 mm. Achenes stipitate, 1.9–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, stipe 0.5–1.5 mm. [details]
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (220 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex debilis)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex debilis var. typica Fernald)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To IUCN Red List (Least Concern)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex debilis var. typica Fernald)
To Plants of the World Online
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex debilis)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex debilis var. typica Fernald)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To IUCN Red List (Least Concern)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex debilis var. typica Fernald)
To Plants of the World Online
