E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Carex petricosa Dewey
rock-dwelling sedge (rockdwelling sedge)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ryan Batten  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #66840)

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Distribution of Carex petricosa
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Carex petricosa var. petricosa

Species Information

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General:
Perennial, densely tufted herb from short rhizomes; stems 10-60 cm tall, longer than the leaves.
Leaves:
Sheaths tight; blades flat or channeled, 0.5-3 mm wide, the lower ones reduced.
Flowers:
Spikes 4 to 7, the upper 1 to 3 with male flowers, sometimes with a few female flowers below, stalked, cylindrical, 2-4 cm long, the lower spikes 1 to 4, separate, erect to ascending or spreading, 2-4 cm long, with female flowers, or sometimes with male flowers towards the tips, the upper short-stalked, the lower long-stalked; bracts subtending the lowest spike long-sheathed, leaflike, 1.5-10 cm long, the blades much shorter than the inflorescence.
Fruits:
Perigynia lanceolate to egg-shaped, 4-5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, sparsely to moderately short-hairy or merely fringed marginally, obscurely nerved, the beaks short, rough; female scales egg-shaped, slightly shorter than the perigynia, rounded to pointed, dark brown, the centres paler, the margins translucent; stigmas 3; achenes 3-angled, 0.8-1.2 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry gravelly, often calcareous slopes and rock outcrops in the alpine zone; rare in NE and SE BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to SW AB and S to MT.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Carex petricosa

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

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 2095 2095 2095
Slope Gradient (%) 15 15 15
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
244 243 244
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
3 3 3
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
1
Modal BEC Zone Class
IMA
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: IMA(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Carex macrogyna Turcz. ex Steud.
Carex petricosa var. distichiflora (Boivin) Boivin
Carex petricosa var. petricosa Dewey

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References