Carex sempervirens explained

Carex sempervirens, called the evergreen sedge, is a species of tussock-forming flowering plant in the family Cyperaceae, native to the mountains of Europe.^[1] It is common in nutrient-limited grasslands above and below the treeline.^[2]

Description

Carex sempervirens is a vigorous, perennial grass-like plant, growing between 20–50 cm in height; glabrous, with a very tenacious rootstock; the stem leafy only at the base. Leaves are 2–4 mm wide, rough, and shorter than the stem. The male spike is solitary, oblong, pale brown; female spikes are spread apart, oblong, somewhat loose, always erect. Sheathing bracts are often shorter than the peduncles; with brownish, lanceolate scales. Utricles are rusty brown, oblong-lanceolate (5–6 mm), slightly veined, ending in a long, bifid beak.^[3] It flowers between May and August.^{[4] [5]}

Distribution and habitat

Carex sempervirens favours chalky, nutrient-limited grasslands^[6] and rocky mountain habitats.^[7] It flourishes at altitudes of 1500–2400 m.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Carex sempervirens Vill. . . 2017 . Plants of the World Online . Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . 5 January 2021 .
2. Carex sempervirens tussocks induce spatial heterogeneity in litter decomposition, but not in soil properties, in a subalpine grassland in the Central Alps . 2011 . Yu . Fei-Hai . Schütz . Martin . Page-Dumroese . Deborah S. . Krüsi . Bertil O. . Schneller . Jakob . Wildi . Otto . Risch . Anita C. . Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants . 206 . 4 . 373–379 . 10.1016/j.flora.2010.08.003 . 85884957 .
3. Web site: Carex sempervirens Vill. . 2024-11-06 . www.gbif.org . en.
4. Web site: FLOREALPES : Carex sempervirens / Laîche toujours verte / Cyperaceae / Fiche détaillée Fleurs des Hautes-Alpes . 2024-11-07 . www.florealpes.com.
5. Web site: Carex sempervirens Vill. - Préservons la Nature . 2024-11-07 . www.preservons-la-nature.fr.
6. Web site: Species information . 2024-11-06 . www.infoflora.ch.
7. Web site: Fiche espèce . 2024-11-07 . www.infoflora.ch.