Carex striata Michaux

Locations ofCarex striata Michaux in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Cyperaceae
Botanical Name
Carex striata Michaux
Common Name
Walter's Sedge
Synonym(s)
Carex striata Michaux var. brevis Bailey; Carex striata Michaux var. striata
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Carex striata Michaux var. brevis Bailey
Comments
According to FNA, northern plants of this species mostly have glabrous perigynia but from New Jersey south there is a clinal increase in pubesent perigynia in populations. The glabrous, northern variant, ranging south to South Carolina, has been called var. brevis; the pubescent variant, predominant in the southern Atlantic and Gulf states, has been called var. striata. While most Virginia plants have glabrous perigynia, at least two specimens with pubescent perigynia have been collected. In addition, in a canvas of specimens from the Carolinas, B.A. Sorrie found that the two putative vars. occurred in the same habitat (often together) and that the degree and distribution of pubescence on perigynia of var. striata varied greatly. Due to the variable and clinal nature of the pubescence character and the lack of any other correlated differences, neither FNA nor the Vascular Flora of North Carolina website formally recognize the varieties of Carex striata, and we follow their lead here.
Habitat
Wet flatwoods and non-riverine swamps, depression swamps and ponds, maritime swamps, and interdune ponds. Infrequent in the s. Coastal Plain, with somewhat outlying populations in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore. Usually forms large clonal patches where found.
Native Status
Native

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