Lipocarpha micrantha (Vahl) G. Tucker
small-flowered lipocarpha (smallflower halfchaff sedge; small-flowered half chaff sedge)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
small-flowered lipocarpha (smallflower halfchaff sedge; small-flowered half chaff sedge)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Annual, tufted herb from fibrous roots; stems slender, 2-20 cm tall.
Leaves:
Blades about 0.5 mm wide, up to 10 cm long, resembling the stems.
Flowers:
Spikes mostly 1 to 3 per stem, unstalked, egg-shaped, 2-6 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide; involucral bracts 2, the inner one absent or shorter, half the length of the inflorescence, the outer one widely lanceolate, the body 0.8-1 cm long, the awn 0.1-0.2 cm long, appearing as a continuation of the stem.
Fruits:
Scales firm, egg-shaped, 1-2 mm long, rather abruptly contracted to blunt short tips or short, stout awn tips up to about 0.5 mm long, achenes light brown, narrow, with convex faces, finely pitted, minutely and abruptly sharp-pointed, 0.5-0.7 mm long.
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
Habitat and Range
Sandy lakeshores in the steppe zone; rare in SC BC, known only from Osoyoos Lake; disjunct E to ON and S to ME, MA, PA, NC, FL, MS, TX, NM, AZ and CA.Status Information
| Origin Status | Provincial Status | BC List (Red Blue List) | COSEWIC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native | S1 | Red | E (Nov 2002) |
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Hemicarpha micrantha (Vahl) Pax
Hemicarpha micrantha var. aritstula
Hemicarpha micrantha var. minor (Schrad.) Friedland
Scirpus micranthus Vahl
Scirpus micranthus var. minor (Schrad. ex Roemer & J.A. Schultes) Boivin