Cyperaceae taxon details
Carex formosa Dewey
1677746 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1677746)
accepted
Species
Edritria formosa (Dewey) Raf. · unaccepted
terrestrial
Dewey, C. (1824). Caricography. <em>The American Journal of Science and Arts.</em> 8: 93-99., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15254273#page/99/mode/1up
page(s): 98 [details]
page(s): 98 [details]
Holotype GH 00027236, geounit Massachusetts
Holotype GH 00027236, geounit Massachusetts [details]
Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 0.5–1 mm thick, 30–80 cm, longer than leaves at...
Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 0.5–1 mm thick, 30–80 cm, longer than leaves at maturity, glabrous but scabrous on angles within inflorescence. Leaves: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, pubescent, sometimes glabrous, others grading from marooon to green on back, white-hyaline, red dotted, and pilose on front; blades flat, 3–7 mm wide, glabrous on adaxial surface, pilose on abaxial surface and margins. Inflorescences: ; peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 10 cm, usually much longer than spikes, pubescent; of terminal spikes 25–50 mm, pubescent; proximal bracts nearly equaling but usually not exceeding inflorescences; sheaths 35–85 mm; blades 2.5–4.5 mm wide. Lateral spikes 2–4, 1 per node, well separated, drooping at maturity, pistillate except for 1 or 2 basal staminate flowers in each, with 8–25 perigynia per spike attached 1 mm apart, cylindric, 15–25 × 4–6 mm. Terminal spike gynecandrous, 15–30 × 5–6 mm in distal pistillate portion, 1.5–2 mm wide in proximal staminate portion. Pistillate scales pale hyaline tinged with chestnut brown, broad green midrib red dotted, ovate, shorter than mature perigynia, apex acute to cuspidate, awn less than 1 mm, glabrous. Perigynia green, copiously red dotted, 2-ribbed with 7–12 fine veins on each face, loosely enveloping achene, ovoid-ellipsoid, 3.5–5 × 1.7–2 mm, membranous, base with short stipe, apex narrowing to abrupt beak, glabrous; beak minutely bidentate, less than 0.5 mm. Achenes substipitate, 2–2.5 × 1.4–1.5 mm. [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex formosa Dewey. Accessed at: https://cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1677746 on 2026-05-23
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2024-12-10 11:47:54Z
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Nomenclature
original description
Dewey, C. (1824). Caricography. <em>The American Journal of Science and Arts.</em> 8: 93-99., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15254273#page/99/mode/1up
page(s): 98 [details]
page(s): 98 [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): 587 [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): 587 [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Holotype GH 00027236, geounit Massachusetts [details]
From editor or global species database
Additional information Carex formosa appears to be confined to areas with calcareous soils making it uncommon and sparsely distributed throughout its range, although some populations are quite large. [details]Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 0.5–1 mm thick, 30–80 cm, longer than leaves at maturity, glabrous but scabrous on angles within inflorescence. Leaves: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, pubescent, sometimes glabrous, others grading from marooon to green on back, white-hyaline, red dotted, and pilose on front; blades flat, 3–7 mm wide, glabrous on adaxial surface, pilose on abaxial surface and margins. Inflorescences: ; peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 10 cm, usually much longer than spikes, pubescent; of terminal spikes 25–50 mm, pubescent; proximal bracts nearly equaling but usually not exceeding inflorescences; sheaths 35–85 mm; blades 2.5–4.5 mm wide. Lateral spikes 2–4, 1 per node, well separated, drooping at maturity, pistillate except for 1 or 2 basal staminate flowers in each, with 8–25 perigynia per spike attached 1 mm apart, cylindric, 15–25 × 4–6 mm. Terminal spike gynecandrous, 15–30 × 5–6 mm in distal pistillate portion, 1.5–2 mm wide in proximal staminate portion. Pistillate scales pale hyaline tinged with chestnut brown, broad green midrib red dotted, ovate, shorter than mature perigynia, apex acute to cuspidate, awn less than 1 mm, glabrous. Perigynia green, copiously red dotted, 2-ribbed with 7–12 fine veins on each face, loosely enveloping achene, ovoid-ellipsoid, 3.5–5 × 1.7–2 mm, membranous, base with short stipe, apex narrowing to abrupt beak, glabrous; beak minutely bidentate, less than 0.5 mm. Achenes substipitate, 2–2.5 × 1.4–1.5 mm. [details]
Ecology Fruiting early–mid summer. Mesic to dry deciduous forests and ravines, moist meadows, usually associated with calcareous soils. [details]
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (1 publication) (from synonym Edritria formosa (Dewey) Raf.)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (104 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex formosa)
To GenBank (10 nucleotides; 6 proteins)
To Genève Herbarium (Carex formosa G00191549 type 1)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Edritria formosa (Dewey) Raf.)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To Plants of the World Online
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Edritria formosa (Dewey) Raf.)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (104 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex formosa)
To GenBank (10 nucleotides; 6 proteins)
To Genève Herbarium (Carex formosa G00191549 type 1)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Edritria formosa (Dewey) Raf.)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To Plants of the World Online
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Edritria formosa (Dewey) Raf.)
From editor or global species database
Hosted externally
