Cyperaceae - Carex caryophyllea Latourr.

Description Rhizomes elongated, woody, with stolons. Culms scattered, central, 7–25(40) cm tall, obtusely trigonous, slender, smooth, with gray or gray-brown persistent leaf sheaths at the base, splitting into fibrous strips. Leaves shorter than the culms, or sometimes nearly as long; leaf blades 2–4.5 mm wide, herbaceous, spreading, the abaxial surface slightly rough. Lowermost bracts shortly leaflike, longer than the spikelets; upper bracts bristlelike, shorter than the spikelets, with a short sheath or nearly sheathless, the lower sheath 4–5 mm long. Spikelets 3, sometimes 2 or 4; terminal spikelet male, club-shaped short-cylindrical, 0.8–2 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, with a short peduncle at the base or nearly sessile; lateral spikelets female, sometimes with a few male flowers at the apex, arising near the culm apex, short-cylindrical, 0.7–1.3 cm long, 4–5 mm wide, flowers densely arranged, with the basal peduncle nearly absent. Male glumes elliptic-lanceolate, 4–5.5 mm long, yellow-brown, apex obtuse, with one pale brown midvein on the back. Female glumes nearly ovate, about 3 mm long, brown, apex acute, with a short awn, and with three pale brown midveins on the back. Utricles obovoid-globose, obtusely trigonous, 2–2.8 mm long, slightly shorter than the female glumes, yellow-green, membranous, fine veins indistinct, sparsely covered with short stiff hairs; base gradually narrowed into a short stipe; apex gradually contracted into a very short beak or nearly beakless, the beak mouth slightly concave. Nutlet tightly enclosed in the utricle, obovoid-globose, trigonous, about 1.5 mm long, gray-brown, apex truncate without an annular disk, base with a short stipe; base of style not thickened; stigmas 3. [details]

Description Rizoma de entrenudos largos, delgado, a veces laxamente cespitosa. Tallos (2)5–25(45) cm, obtusamente trígonos, lisos o...

Description Rizoma de entrenudos largos, delgado, a veces laxamente cespitosa. Tallos (2)5–25(45) cm, obtusamente trígonos, lisos o con algunos acúleos dispersos en la parte superior. Hojas (1,5)2–4,5 mm de anchura, generalmente de longitud menor que los tallos, ásperas en los bordes hacia el ápice, planas, bastante rígidas; lígula 0,5–2 mm, de ápice obtuso o redondeado; sin antelígula; vainas basales escuamiformes, enteras o ± fibrosas, de color pardo. Bráctea inferior setácea o cortamente folíacea, generalmente de menor longitud que la inflorescencia, envainante. Espiga masculina solitaria, de (7)10–20(24) mm, oblonga, claviforme o fusiforme; espigas femeninas (1)2–3(8), de (5)9–20(23) mm, ovoides, aproximadas junto a la masculina, a veces la inferior separada, excepcionalmente subbasilar, las superiores sésiles o casi, el resto con pedúnculos de longitud tanto mayor cuanto más inferiores, erectas. Glumas masculinas oblongas, de ápice agudo, subagudo o cortamente aristado, de color pardo o pardo-rojizo, con margen escarioso; glumas femeninas anchamente ovales, de ápice agudo, sin mucrón o aristado, raramente obtuso, de color pardo o pardo-rojizo, con margen escarioso estrecho. Utrículos (2)2,5–3(3,5) × (1)1,2–1,7 mm, suberectos, de contorno ovoide u obovado, trígonos, con los nervios poco perceptibles, cortamente pubescentes, verdosos o de color pardo, con un pico hasta de 0,3(0,5) mm, por lo general cortamente bidentado. Aquenios 1,7–2,1 × 1–1,6 mm, de contorno elíptico u obovado, trígonos, con la base del estilo lo que surge de una concavidad del ápice del aquenio, de color pardo oscuro. 2n = 67, 68, 62*, 66*. [details]

Description Rhizomes shortly creeping, with loosely tufted shoots; roots dark brown or purple-brown; scales mid brown, often shiny,...

Description Rhizomes shortly creeping, with loosely tufted shoots; roots dark brown or purple-brown; scales mid brown, often shiny, soon becoming fibrous. Stems 2–30 cm, trigonous, leafy below. Leaves up to 20 cm × 1.5–3 mm, recurved, smooth and shiny on the upper surface, ± flat, tapered ± abruptly to a short trigonous point, mid green, sometimes overwintering; hypostomous; sheaths herbaceous, becoming dark brown and fibrous, inner face hyaline, soon decaying; apex straight to concave; ligule 1–2 mm, obtuse, with very narrow, entire free margin. Inflorescence 2–4 cm; lower bracts often leaf-like, the lowest with a sheath 3–5 mm, upper glumaceous. Male spike 1, 10–15 mm, clavate in flower, oblanceoloid in fruit; male glumes 4–5 mm, oblanceolate-elliptic, mid brown to reddish-brown, hyaline toward base, with pale green midrib; apex ± acute or mucronate. Female spikes 1–3, 5–12 mm, ovoid, ± contiguous, clustered at base of male spike, sessile or with ensheathed peduncles; female glumes 2–2.5 mm, broadly ovate, mid brown to reddish-brown, with wide green midrib excurrent into an obtuse, mucronate, or often attenuate apex. Utricles 2–3 mm, obovoid-ellipsoid, ± trigonous, with two prominent lateral ribs, tomentose, green; beak c. 0.2 mm, notched; stigmas 3; nut obovoid-ellipsoid, trigonous. [details]

Description Culms trigonous, angles obtuse, 4–35 cm, scabrous distally. Leaves basal; sheath fronts with apex concave to V-shaped,...

Description Culms trigonous, angles obtuse, 4–35 cm, scabrous distally. Leaves basal; sheath fronts with apex concave to V-shaped, glabrous; blades 7–25 cm × 1.5–3 mm, shorter than culm. Inflorescences 2–4 cm; proximal bracts to 5 × 1 mm; spikes crowded; lateral spikes 0.5–1.5 cm × 4–5 mm; terminal spikes 1–2 cm × 4 mm. Scales brown with yellow-brown midrib, 3-veined, equaling perigynia, apex acuminate to retuse, with scabrous awn to 2 mm. Anthers 2–3 mm. Perigynia yellow-brown, often red-brown at apex, sides convex, 2.5–2.8 × 1.5 mm, hairs purple-brown (hair-base bulbous); beak red-brown, conic, thickened. Achenes brown, sessile, mitrate, obovoid, 2–2.2 mm. 2n = 58, 62, 64, 66, 68 [details]

Taxonomic remark Source in seed data: wcs Update namepublishedIn from Chlor. Lugd. 27 1785 to Chlor. Lugd. : 27 (1785), information...

Taxonomic remark Source in seed data: wcs Update namepublishedIn from Chlor. Lugd. 27 1785 to Chlor. Lugd. : 27 (1785), information provided by Alan E. on email Jun. 07 2021 More details could be found in The [details]

Taxonomic citation

Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex caryophyllea Latourr.. Accessed at: https://cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1678247 on 2026-06-08

Taxonomic edit history

Date

action

2023-09-06 07:28:28Z

created

Jiménez-Mejías, Pedro

2024-12-10 11:47:54Z

unchecked

db_admin

2025-03-11 11:19:03Z

changed

Márquez-Corro, José Ignacio

2025-11-18 11:27:56Z

changed

Marco Rosado, Nuria

Licensing

The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

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Nomenclature

original description Latourrette, M. A. L. C. (1785). Chloris lugdunensis.
page(s): 27 [details]

original description (of Carex titovii V.I.Krecz.) (1935). <em>Trudy Sredne-Aziatskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta.</em> ser 8b(20).
page(s): 15 [details]

basis of record Plants of the World Online (POWO). , available online at https://powo.science.kew.org/ [details]

Taxonomy

taxonomy source Jermy, A.C.; Simpson, D.A.; Foley, M.J.Y.; Porter, M.S. (2007). Sedges of the British Isles. 554 pp. Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland, United Kingdom. [details] Available for editors

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taxonomy source Luceño, M., Castroviejo, S., Jiménez-Mejías, P. (2008). Cyperaceae. In: Castroviejo, Luceño, M., Galán, A., Jiménez-Mejías, P., Cabezas, F., Medina, L. (eds). Flora iberica. Plantas vasculares de la Península Ibérica e Islas Baleares. Vol. XVIII. Madrid: CSIC., available online at https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/12958-flora-iberica-vol-18-cyperaceae-pontederiaceae?offset=, http://www.floraiberica.es/PHP/familias_lista_.php?familia=Cyperaceae [details]

taxonomy source Jin, X. F., Lu, Y. F. (2024). Taxonomy of Carex sect. Mitratae s.l. (Cyperaceae). [details] Available for editors

[request]

Present

Inaccurate

Introduced: alien

Containing type locality

Holotype P 00280839, geounit Japan [details]

From editor or global species database

Habitat Growing in meadows, grasslands, and on limestone at elevations of 100–2200 m. [details]

Translation Rhizome with long internodes, slender, sometimes loosely cespitose. Stems (2)5–25(45) cm, obtusely trigonous, smooth or with some scattered prickles in the upper part. Leaves (1.5)2–4.5 mm wide, generally shorter than the stems, rough on the margins toward the apex, flat, rather rigid; ligule 0.5–2 mm, with obtuse or rounded apex; without antiligule; basal sheaths scale-like, entire or ± fibrous, brown. Lower bract setaceous or shortly foliose, generally shorter than the inflorescence, sheathing. Male spike solitary, (7)10–20(24) mm, oblong, clavate or fusiform; female spikes (1)2–3(8), (5)9–20(23) mm, ovoid, clustered near the male spike, sometimes the lowest separated, exceptionally subbasal, the upper ones sessile or nearly so, the remaining ones on peduncles progressively longer downward, erect. Male glumes oblong, with acute, subacute or shortly aristate apex, brown or reddish-brown, with a scarious margin; female glumes broadly ovate, with acute apex, unmucronate or aristate, rarely obtuse, brown or reddish-brown, with a narrow scarious margin. Utricles (2)2.5–3(3.5) × (1)1.2–1.7 mm, suberect, ovoid or obovoid in outline, trigonous, with nerves scarcely perceptible, shortly pubescent, greenish or brown, with a beak up to 0.3(0.5) mm, usually shortly bidentate. Achenes 1.7–2.1 × 1–1.6 mm, elliptic or obovoid in outline, trigonous, with the style base arising from a concavity at the apex of the achene, dark brown. 2n = 67, 68, 62*, 66*. [details]

Definitions