Hirsute Sedge

Culms 20–75 cm, glabrescent. Leaves: sheaths sparsely pilose, but usually densely pilose at mouth; ligules shorter than wide; blades 1.5–4 mm wide, glabrescent, or often persistently pilose proximally. Inflorescences: lateral spikes approximate or proximal distant, 6–15 × 4–5 mm; terminal spike gynecandrous, at least 1/2 of flowers pistillate, 14–25 mm. Pistillate scales ovate, 1.9–3(–3.5) × (0.8–)0.9–1.5(–1.7) mm, shorter than to equaling perigynia, apex acute to acuminate, sometimes with awn to 0.5 mm. Staminate scales oblong-obovate, 2.7–5.3 mm, apex acuminate or short-awned. Anthers 1.5–2.2 mm. Perigynia ascending, 5–18-veined, obovate-circular, ± trigonous in cross section, 2–3.5 × 1.1–2.1 mm, not papillose, glabrous or sparsely pilose; beak absent. Achenes 1.6–2.3 × 0.9–1.5 mm.

Ala., Ark., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Iowa, La., Md., Miss., Mo., N.J., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va.; Mexico.

Fruiting late spring–early summer.

Dry open woods, neutral to acidic soils; 0–500m.

Carex complanata Torr. & Hook.; Torr. Ann. Lye. N. Y
3:408. 1836.
Carex triceps Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 2: 170. 1803. (Type from Carolina.) Not C. triceps Schrank,
1789. Facolos complanata Raf. Good Book 26. 1840. (Based on Carex complanata Torr. & Hook.) Carex Bolliana Bock. Flora 61 : 40. 1878. (Type from Texas.)
Cespitose in rather small clumps, not stoloniferous, the culms slender but stiff and erect, 2-6 dm. high, glabrate, triangular with slightly concave sides, strongly exceeding the leaves, aphyllopodic, strongly reddish-purple at base; well-developed leaves usually 4-6 to a culm, on lower fourth, mostly bunched above the base, the blades glabrate with traces of pubescence toward base or occasionally below, not septate-nodulose, 1-3 dm. long, 1.5-3 mm. wide, thickish and rather stiff, ascending, flat with revolute margins, long-attenuate, the uppermost inserted from shortly to much below inflorescence and more or less strongly exceeding it; sheaths long, tight, sparingly hairy, concave and short-pilose at mouth, the ligule much wider than long; spikes 2-5, usually 3, oblong, sessile or nearly so, 6-15 mm. long, 5-7 mm. wide, approximate or the lowest slightly remote, the terminal gynaecandrous with the lower third staminate and clavate, the lateral pistillate, closely 15-30-flowered in several to many rows; lowest bract leaflet-like, several times length of inflorescence, not sheathing, the others much smaller; pistillate scales ovate-triangular, several-nerved, straw-colored and reddish-brown-tinged with hyaline margins and green center, narrower and from shorter to slightly longer than perigynia, varying from obtuse to short-rough-awned; staminate scales greenish-straw-colored, acuminate or short-awned; perigynia broadly obovoid, somewhat flattened ventrally and obtusely triangular, at maturity appressed or ascending, olive-green, submembranaceous, more or less granular-roughened and slightly asperulous, very obscurely nerved or nerveless ventrally except for the two marginal nerves, more or less strongly nerved dorsally, especially toward apex, 2-2.5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, round-tapering and sessile at base, rounded and beakless at apex, the orifice slightly emarginate; achenes obovoid, sharply triangular with concave sides and prominent rounded angles, nearly filling the perigynium, 1.75 mm. long, 1.25 mm. wide, short-stipitate, short-apiculate with somewhat bent tip, jointed with the very short thickish style; stigmas 3, slender, short; anthers reddish.
Type locality: "Hab. Texas, T. Drummond. (Texas collection III, No. 424.)" Distribution: Dry, often sterile, pine lands. Florida and Texas, and northward to southern New Jersey, chiefly on the coastal plain, and in the interior to Arkansas. (Specimens examined from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas.)