Cyperaceae taxon details
Carex gracillima Schwein.
1677822 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1677822)
accepted
Species
Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr. · unaccepted
Carex gracillima f. humilis Kük. · unaccepted
Carex gracillima f. humilis L.H.Bailey · unaccepted
Carex gracillima var. gracillima · unaccepted
Carex gracillima var. humile L.H.Bailey · unaccepted
Carex gracillima var. macerrima Fernald & Wiegand · unaccepted
Loxanisa gracillima (Schwein.) Raf. · unaccepted
- Forma Carex gracillima f. humilis Kük. accepted as Carex gracillima Schwein.
- Forma Carex gracillima f. humilis L.H.Bailey accepted as Carex gracillima Schwein.
- Variety Carex gracillima var. gracillima accepted as Carex gracillima Schwein.
- Variety Carex gracillima var. humile L.H.Bailey accepted as Carex gracillima Schwein.
- Variety Carex gracillima var. humilis (L.H.Bailey) L.H.Bailey accepted as Carex gracillima Schwein.
- Variety Carex gracillima var. macerrima Fernald & Wiegand accepted as Carex gracillima Schwein.
terrestrial
Schweinitz, L. D. (1824). An Analytical Table to facilitate the determination of the hitherto observed North American species of the genus <i>Carex</i>. <em>Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York.</em> 1: 62-71., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15913239#page/72/mode/1up
page(s): 66 [details]
page(s): 66 [details]
Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 0.5–1.1 mm thick, 20–90 cm, much longer than leaves...
Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 0.5–1.1 mm thick, 20–90 cm, much longer than leaves at maturity, glabrous, but often scabrous within inflorescence. Leaves: sheaths glabrous or short-pubescent, basal few bladeless and maroon, others grading from maroon to green on back, pale brown-hyaline, red dotted and sometimes pubescent near apex; blades flat, 3–9 mm wide, glabrous, minutely scabrous on margins distally. Inflorescences: peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 40 mm, equaling spikes or usually somewhat shorter, scabrous; peduncle of terminal spike to 13 mm, glabrous or scabrous; proximal bracts shorter than inflorescences; sheaths 20–25 mm; blades 3–4 mm wide. Lateral spikes 2–5, 1 per node, well separated, drooping at maturity, pistillate with 10–45 perigynia attached 2 mm apart, linear, 10–70 × 2–3.5 mm. Terminal spike gynecandrous, 10–60 × 1–3 mm. Pistillate scales white-hyaline tinged with chestnut, broad green midrib often red dotted, sometimes scabrous, ovate to oblong, shorter than mature perigynia, apex rounded or cuspidate with ciliate awn less than 1 mm, otherwise glabrous. Perigynia green, usually red dotted, 2-ribbed and finely 8–12-veined, veins more obvious near base, ellipsoid to oblong-ovoid, loosely enveloping achenes, 2–3.7 × 1.3–1.6 mm, membranous, acute at base, tapering gradually to acute beakless apex, glabrous. Achenes substipitate, 1.2–2.6 × 1–1.2 mm. 2n = 50, 52, 54. [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex gracillima Schwein.. Accessed at: https://cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1677822 on 2026-05-30
Date
action
by
2024-12-10 11:47:54Z
unchecked
db_admin
The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 License
Nomenclature
original description
Schweinitz, L. D. (1824). An Analytical Table to facilitate the determination of the hitherto observed North American species of the genus <i>Carex</i>. <em>Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York.</em> 1: 62-71., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15913239#page/72/mode/1up
page(s): 66 [details]
page(s): 66 [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): 582 [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): 582 [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Additional information Two varieties of Carex gracillima have been named based on specimens with shorter stems, narrower leaves and smaller perigynia. Although detailed studies are lacking, these plants are more likely to be phenotypic responses to stressful conditions and do not warrant taxonomic recognition. Carex gracillima is common in a variety of forest habitats and has an intermediate blooming time among the eastern forest sedges. As a result, sterile hybrids with other species appear to be quite frequent and include: C. gracillima × aestivalis (= C. ×aestivaliformis), C. gracillima × hirtifolia (= C. ×sullivantii), C. gracillima × hirsutella, C. gracillima × virescens, C. gracillima × swanii, C. gracillima × castanea, and C. gracillima × arctata. Although none of the hybrids has been confirmed experimentally, at least the first four exhibit clear morphologic intermediacy and co-occur with the putative parental species. [details]Description Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 0.5–1.1 mm thick, 20–90 cm, much longer than leaves at maturity, glabrous, but often scabrous within inflorescence. Leaves: sheaths glabrous or short-pubescent, basal few bladeless and maroon, others grading from maroon to green on back, pale brown-hyaline, red dotted and sometimes pubescent near apex; blades flat, 3–9 mm wide, glabrous, minutely scabrous on margins distally. Inflorescences: peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 40 mm, equaling spikes or usually somewhat shorter, scabrous; peduncle of terminal spike to 13 mm, glabrous or scabrous; proximal bracts shorter than inflorescences; sheaths 20–25 mm; blades 3–4 mm wide. Lateral spikes 2–5, 1 per node, well separated, drooping at maturity, pistillate with 10–45 perigynia attached 2 mm apart, linear, 10–70 × 2–3.5 mm. Terminal spike gynecandrous, 10–60 × 1–3 mm. Pistillate scales white-hyaline tinged with chestnut, broad green midrib often red dotted, sometimes scabrous, ovate to oblong, shorter than mature perigynia, apex rounded or cuspidate with ciliate awn less than 1 mm, otherwise glabrous. Perigynia green, usually red dotted, 2-ribbed and finely 8–12-veined, veins more obvious near base, ellipsoid to oblong-ovoid, loosely enveloping achenes, 2–3.7 × 1.3–1.6 mm, membranous, acute at base, tapering gradually to acute beakless apex, glabrous. Achenes substipitate, 1.2–2.6 × 1–1.2 mm. 2n = 50, 52, 54. [details]
Ecology Fruiting late spring–mid summer. Mesic to dry deciduous forests, including edges and openings, mixed conifer-hardwood forests, coniferous swamps, thickets, meadows, roadsides. [details]
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (1 publication) (from synonym Loxanisa gracillima (Schwein.) Raf.)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (253 publications)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (270 publications) (from synonym Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr.)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex digitalis) (from synonym Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr.)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex gracillima)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Loxanisa gracillima (Schwein.) Raf.)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr.)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex gracillima var. macerrima Fernald & Wiegand)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex gracillima var. humile L.H.Bailey)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex gracillima f. humilis Kük.)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex gracillima f. humilis L.H.Bailey)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex gracillima var. humilis (L.H.Bailey) L.H.Bailey)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex gracillima var. macerrima Fernald & Wiegand)
To Plants of the World Online
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Loxanisa gracillima (Schwein.) Raf.)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr.)
To The Plant List (from synonym Carex gracillima var. humile L.H.Bailey)
To The Plant List (from synonym Carex gracillima var. gracillima)
To The Plant List (from synonym Carex gracillima f. humilis Kük.)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (253 publications)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (270 publications) (from synonym Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr.)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex digitalis) (from synonym Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr.)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Carex gracillima)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Loxanisa gracillima (Schwein.) Raf.)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr.)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex gracillima var. macerrima Fernald & Wiegand)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex gracillima var. humile L.H.Bailey)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (from synonym Carex gracillima f. humilis Kük.)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex gracillima f. humilis L.H.Bailey)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex gracillima var. humilis (L.H.Bailey) L.H.Bailey)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex gracillima var. macerrima Fernald & Wiegand)
To Plants of the World Online
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Loxanisa gracillima (Schwein.) Raf.)
To Plants of the World Online (from synonym Carex digitalis Schwein. & Torr.)
To The Plant List (from synonym Carex gracillima var. humile L.H.Bailey)
To The Plant List (from synonym Carex gracillima var. gracillima)
To The Plant List (from synonym Carex gracillima f. humilis Kük.)
