Carex tumulicola Mackenzie

General Description: A grass-like perennial forming loose tufts up to about 80 cm tall. Leaves are flat, 1-3 mm wide, elongate, but shorter than the stems, and not all clustered at the very base of the plant. Spikes several, small, few-flowered, with male flowers above the female flowers, and loosely aggregated into an oblong- or cylindric-shaped head 1.5-4 cm long. Bracts are usually well developed and with the lower ones generally (but not always) surpass their subtended spike. The greenish-straw to pale coppery perigynia are narrowly to broadly egg-shaped, 3.5-5 mm long, and have 2 stigmas. Scales are straw to brownish in color with whitish margins, fairly broad, tending to be shortly awn-tipped, and equaling or surpassing the more or less appressed perigynia.

Illustration.

Field Identification Tips: Foothill sedge occurs in relatively dry habitats. Useful field characteristics include its loosely tufted habit, small, few-flowered inflorescences with heads having male flowers above the female, and generally well developed bract surpassing the lower spike. Positive identification requires use of a technical key and hand lens or microscope.

Phenology: June and July.

Similar Species: Many other sedge species resemble foothill sedge in general appearance. It is most likely to be confused with other tufted, upland habitat sedges that have male flowers above the female in the inflorescence. Carex hoodii (Hood's sedge) has spikes that are more tightly clustered and more markedly bicolored. Carex vallicola (valley sedge) does not get over about 40 cm tall, and has pale scales usually shorter than the perigynia. Carex occidentalis (western sedge), like these other two sedges does not have well developed subtending bracts that surpass the lower spikes.

Habitat: Open, often grassy slopes and dry meadows.

Global Distribution: Mainly distributed west of the Cascade Mountains, from southern Washington to central California, and up the Columbia River to western Klickitat County. Disjunct populations have been reported in southwestern and eastern Idaho.

Idaho Distribution: Owyhee county in southwestern Idaho, and historical collections from Bannock and Power counties in the eastern part of the state.

References:

Abrams, L. 1940. Illustrated flora of the Pacific states. Vol. 1 Ferns to Birthworts. Stanford University Press, Stanford University, CA.

Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 1. University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA. 914 pp.