Carex pulicaris explained

Carex pulicaris, the flea sedge, is a species of sedge in the genus Carex native to Europe.

Description

Carex pulicaris is a small sedge, with stiff stems 10cm-30cmcm (00inches-10inchescm) tall.[1] The leaves are 5- long and less than 1mm wide.[1] The inflorescence comprises a single spike, with 3–10 female flowers towards the base, and male flowers towards the tip.[1] [2] As the utricles mature, they bend away from the spike axis and become sensitive to touch; the way the seeds appear to jump from the stem gives rise to the plant's vernacular name.[1] Before the utricles have become deflexed, C. pulicaris closely resembles C. rupestris, with which it often grows.[1] It may also be confused with C. pauciflora, which usually bears only 2–3 fruit per stem.[2]

Distribution and ecology

Carex pulicaris is found across much of Europe, from Spain to Estonia and north to Iceland and Fennoscandia, but excluding the Mediterranean region.[3] It grows in a variety of wet habitats, including bogs, fens and wet flushes.[4]

Taxonomy

Carex pulicaris was first described in Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Latin: [[Species Plantarum]]. It is not known to hybridise with any other species.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: A. C. Jermy . D. A. Simpson . M. J. Y. Foley . M. S. Porter . 2007 . Sedges of the British Isles . 3rd . BSBI Handbook No. 1 . 978-0-901158-35-2 . . Carex pulicaris L. . 512–514.
  2. Web site: Flea sedge, Carex pulicaris . West Highland Flora . Carl Farmer . 15 April 2015 . 30 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131030090207/http://www.plant-identification.co.uk/skye/cyperaceae/carex-pulicaris.htm . dead .
  3. Web site: Loppstarr, Carex pulicaris L. . 25 August 2011 . Den virtuella floran . Naturhistoriska riksmuseet . 15 April 2015.
  4. Book: Clive A. Stace . Clive A. Stace . 2010 . New Flora of the British Isles . 3rd . Carex L. – sedges . 951–974 . . 978-0-521-70772-5.