Photo © Robert Moseley CLICK PHOTO FOR A LARGER IMAGE

Carex leptalea Wahlenb.

Bristle-stalked Sedge

Cyperaceae (Sedge family)

General Description: A slender plant with weakly erect stems, 15-60 cm tall, and densely clustered from slender, freely branched rhizomes. The leaves are shorter than the flowering stem, flat, and very narrow, usually less than 1 mm wide. Plants have a single terminal spike with staminate flowers at the tip, and pistillate flowers with 3 stigmas below. The 1-10, appressed-ascending, pale green perigynia are sometimes isolated from each other. The blunt-tipped perigynia are 2.5-4.5 mm long.

Illustration.

Field Identification Tips: The solitary terminal spike of the flowering stem and the rounded, blunt apex and narrowed base of the perigynia are good distinguishing characters. Stems are often clustered with many emerging from a small area. This species is easily overlooked because it is often growing in the understory of other sedge species.

Phenology: Fruits mature during the summer.

Similar Species: Carex leptalea is the only sedge documented from the peatlands of northern Idaho that has only one spike terminating the fertile shoots. A similar-looking species known from boggy habitats elsewhere is C. dioica, which has fatter, reflexed perigynia with two stigmas. C. nigricans is found in high elevation wet meadow habitats and also differs in features of the perigynia and pistillate scales.

Photo © Robert Moseley CLICK PHOTO FOR A LARGER IMAGE

Habitat: Bogs and fens, wet meadows, and swamps from lowlands to moderate elevations in the mountains.

Global Distribution: From Labrador to Alaska, south to Florida, Texas, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, and northern California.

Idaho Distribution: Known from Boundary and Bonner counties, especially in the Priest River Valley, and also from outside the Panhandle region in Clearwater and northern Idaho counties.

References:

Atwood, D., et al. 1991. Utah - Endangered, threatened and sensitive plant field guide. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT.

Bursik, R. J. 1992. Field investigations of sensitive plant taxa occurring on the Priest Lake Ranger District, Kanisku National Forest, Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Unpublished report prepared for the Panhandle National Forests by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Conservation Data Center, Boise. 141 pp. plus appendices.

Hurd, E. G., N. L. Shaw, J. Mastrogiuseppe, L. C. Smithman, and S. Goodrich. 1998. Field guide to intermountain sedges. General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-10. Ogden, Utah: U.S.Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 282 pp.

Spackman, S., B. Jennings, J. Coles, C. Dawson, M. Minton, A. Kratz, and C. Spurrier. 1997. Colorado Rare Plant Field Guide. Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program.