Carex leptalea Wahlenb.
bristle-stalked sedge (bristlystalked sedge)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
bristle-stalked sedge (bristlystalked sedge)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial, densely tufted herb from slender rhizomes; stems 15-70 cm tall, slightly shorter to longer than the leaves.
Leaves:
Sheaths tight, concave to blunt at the mouths; blades 2 to 3 per stem, flat or channeled, borne on the lower 1/4 of the stem, about 0.7-1.5 mm wide.
Fruits:
Perigynia few, cylindrical or elliptical, 2.5-5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, yellowish-green to pale green, many nerved, long-stalked, the tips blunt, more or less entire, beakless; male scales rounded to pointed at the tips, fused below, appressed, yellowish
Notes:
Two subspecies can be distinguished in BC:
1. Female scales rounded; perigynia 2.5-3.5 mm long; E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains.................. ssp. leptalea
1. Female scales long-pointed to awned; perigynia 3.5-5 mm long; W of the Coast-Cascade Mountains................. ssp. pacifica Calder & Taylor
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Green
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Carex leptalea
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
870 | 10 | 1915 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
2 | 0 | 65 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
85 | 20 | 350 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 3 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
180 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(20), CWH(30), ESSF(16), ICH(20), IDF(7), MS(17), PP(1), SBPS(14), SBS(50), SWB(3) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Bogs, swamps, shorelines and fens in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent throughout BC west (ssp. pacifica) and east (ssp. leptalea) of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; ssp. pacifica - N to AK and YT; ssp. leptalea - N to AK, YT, NT, E to NF and S to ME, PA, NC, TN, AR, OK, NM, UT and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Carex leptalea var. tayloris B. Boivin, nom. inq.