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Hairy-leaved sedge

Carex hirsutella Mack.

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Hairy-leaved sedge
Hairy-leaved sedge
Hairy-leaved sedge pubescence
Hairy-leaved sedge habit
Hairy-leaved sedge inflorescence

Morphology

Culm
Mostly erect, slender, stiff, strongly triangular, pilose; base reddish.
Leaves
Blades to 6 per culm, green, 1 to 12 inches long, .06 to .16 inch wide, flat, margins revolute, surfaces pilose.
Sheath
Long, tight, densely pilose.
Inflorescence
Terminal spike erect, usually on short peduncle, thick cylindric, .4 to 1 inch tall, .14 to .24 inch, containing both staminate and pistillate flowers, pistillate at top; lateral spikes 2-4, erect to ascending, densely clustered, .3 to .7 inch tall, .12 to .2 inch wide; pistillate scales greenish white with green midrib, ovate, .07 to .1 inch, apex obtuse to acuminate, occasionally mucronate, shorter than perigynia; staminate scales greenish white with green midrib, ovate to lanceolate, .08 to .2 inch, apex acuminate; perigynia 15-30 per spike, ascending, obovoid, bluntly triangular, .08 to .12 inch, glabrous; beak absent.
Fruit
Achenes, triangular with concave sides, .07 to .1 inch, apiculate; stigmas 3.

Ecology

Habitat
Woods, meadows, roadsides; dry, open, disturbed sites.
Distribution
East 1/5 of Kansas

Additional Notes

Comments

Carex hirsutella is similar to Carex bushii

Quick Facts
Plant Type
Sedge
Family
Cyperaceae - Sedge Family
Life Span
Perennial
Height
8-36 inches
Origin
Native
Last Updated
2019-02-26
Flowering Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Blooms: May, June