Cyperaceae taxon details
Carex conspecta Mack.
1676708 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:1676708)
accepted
Species
terrestrial
Mackenzie, K. K. (1935). Cariceae (continuatio). <em>North American Flora.</em> 18(5): 241-312., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28761574
page(s): 294 [details]
page(s): 294 [details]
Holotype US 1032323, geounit Puebla
Holotype US 1032323, geounit Puebla [details]
Description Cespitose from short, stout, rootstocks ; culms phyllopodic, 6-12 dm. high, 4-6 mm. wide at the dull-reddish-brown-tinged...
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots pale brown, not densely felted with root hairs; fertile culm 115 cm tall,...
Distribution Known only from the type locality. (Specimens examined from Puebla).
Description Cespitose from short, stout, rootstocks ; culms phyllopodic, 6-12 dm. high, 4-6 mm. wide at the dull-reddish-brown-tinged base, nodding, the lower sheaths filamentose; leaves with well-developed blades 5-8 to a fertile culm, clustered on the lower fourth, their blades 2-4 dm. long, 3-6 mm. wide, channeled above, flat below, thick, many-nerved, roughened toward the attenuate apex, the margins revolute, the sheaths roughened dorsally between the nerves, thin-hyaline and cinnamon-brown-dotted ventrally, the ligule longer than wide ; terminal spike staminate, 4 cm. long, 3.5 mm. wide ; lateral spikes 6, the upper two staminate, the lower four androgynous, 2-3 cm. long, 5 mm. wide, with 20-50 perigynia, dropping on slender peduncles ; lowest bract leaf-like, long-sheathing, the upper reduced ; scales ovate, wider but somewhat shorter than the perigynia, reddish-brown with lighter midvein and whitish-hyaline, erose margins, emarginate, mucronate; perigynia compressed-trigonous, 2.25 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, ascending or spreading, membranaceous, straw-colored, red-dotted, puncticulate, two-ribbed and finely many-nerved, substipitate, rather abruptly contracted into a bidentate beak 0.5 mm. long; achenes trigonous with concave sides. 1.5 x 0.8 mm., closely enveloped, brownish, subapiculate, jointed with the style. [details]
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots pale brown, not densely felted with root hairs; fertile culm 115 cm tall,...
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots pale brown, not densely felted with root hairs; fertile culm 115 cm tall, trigonous, smooth, with glabrous, pale brown, bladeless basal sheaths. Leaves 6, mostly in the lower third of the culm; blades 12-35 cm long, 3.3-5.5 mm wide, plicate, glaucous, densely whitish-papillose abaxially and, to a much lesser extent, adaxially, the margins antrorsely scabrous distally and granular-papillose proximally; leaf sheaths 6-14 cm long, tightly enveloping culm, glabrous, green; inner band glabrous, hyaline and fragile above, stramineous below, brownish purple-streaked, the apex truncate to slightly convex-prolonged; ligules 8.5-14.5 mm long, acute, the free portion prominent, brown-tinged. Vegetative shoots unknown. Inflorescence 39 cm long, with the upper spikes overlapping and the lowest two spikes 22 cm distant, spikes single at nodes, with all but the upper arching on filiform, flexuous, smooth peduncles; lowermost spike with peduncle 6.3 cm long, the uppermost lateral spike sessile; lowermost bract with blade broken off and sheath 4.5 cm long, the uppermost bracts much reduced. Spikes 7, the upper 3 staminate, the rest androgynous. Terminal spike 3.1 cm long, 3.2 mm wide, ca. 100-flowered; peduncle 5.5 mm long. Lateral staminate spikes 0.9-2.1 cm long, ca. 20-40-flowered; lateral androgynous spikes 2.4-3.2 cm long, rarely compound, with secondary spike single, and androgynous, up to 7 mm long; staminate portion of lateral spikes 0.4-1.3 cm long, ca. 25-50 flowered; pistillate portion of lateral spikes 1.3-2.8 cm long, 4.5-5.5 mm wide, 50-70-flowered. Pistillate scales 1.9-2.7 mm long, 1.1-1.4 mm wide, obovate, obtuse to acute, rarely with a cusp to 0.2 mm long, reddish brown with hyaline margins and stramineous, red-streaked center, 3-veined. Staminate scales 3.2-4.3 mm long, 1.7-2.2 mm wide, obovate to oblong, obtuse to acute, pale reddish brown with hyaline margins, 1-veined. Perigynia 2.2-2.9 mm long, 0.8-1.2 mm wide, ascending to spreading, +- flattened-trigonous with flat to convex, narrowly ovate sides, green, densely red-dotted, glabrous, sessile, 10-14-veined with 2 veins prominent and the rest faint, contracted into a beak; beaks 0.5-0.6 mm long, stramineous, smooth or very sparsely scabrous, the apex obscurely bidentulate with teeth to 0.2 mm long. Achene 1.8-1.9 mm long, 0.8-0.9 mm wide, trigonous with ? flat, elliptic to ovate sides, tightly enveloped by the perigynium, pale brown, sessile. Styles withering; stigmas 3. Anthers 3, 1.1-2.3 mm long. [details]
Distribution Known only from the type locality. (Specimens examined from Puebla).
Distribution Known only from the type locality. (Specimens examined from Puebla). [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Carex conspecta Mack.. Accessed at: https://www.cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1676708 on 2026-06-28
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2024-12-10 11:47:54Z
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Nomenclature
original description
Mackenzie, K. K. (1935). Cariceae (continuatio). <em>North American Flora.</em> 18(5): 241-312., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28761574
page(s): 294 [details]
page(s): 294 [details]
Other
additional source
Hermann, F. J. (1974). Manual of the genus <i>Carex</i> in Mexico and Central America. IV, pp. 219 p. Forest Service, U.S.Dept. Agric., Washington.
page(s): 146 [details] Available for editors
[request]
additional source Reznicek, A. A. (1986). The Taxonomy of <i>Carex</i> sect. <i>Hymenochlaenae</i> (Cyperaceae) in Mexico and Central America. <em>Systematic Botany.</em> 11(1): 56-87., available online at https://doi.org/10.2307/2418947
page(s): 80 [details] Available for editors [request]
page(s): 146 [details] Available for editors
[request]additional source Reznicek, A. A. (1986). The Taxonomy of <i>Carex</i> sect. <i>Hymenochlaenae</i> (Cyperaceae) in Mexico and Central America. <em>Systematic Botany.</em> 11(1): 56-87., available online at https://doi.org/10.2307/2418947
page(s): 80 [details] Available for editors
[request]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Holotype US 1032323, geounit Puebla [details]
From editor or global species database
Comparison Carex conspecta and the following two species, C. brunnipes and C. ixtapalucensis, are very similar and can be difficult to distinguish. For convenience, the three species may be known as the C. conspecta complex. The perigynia of C. conspecta are merely red-dotted, rather than red-dotted and purple-mottled, as in C. brunnipes and C. ixtapalucensis. In addition to perigynium and spike size noted in the key, C. conspecta differs from C. ixtapalucensis in having much longer ligules. [details]Description Cespitose from short, stout, rootstocks ; culms phyllopodic, 6-12 dm. high, 4-6 mm. wide at the dull-reddish-brown-tinged base, nodding, the lower sheaths filamentose; leaves with well-developed blades 5-8 to a fertile culm, clustered on the lower fourth, their blades 2-4 dm. long, 3-6 mm. wide, channeled above, flat below, thick, many-nerved, roughened toward the attenuate apex, the margins revolute, the sheaths roughened dorsally between the nerves, thin-hyaline and cinnamon-brown-dotted ventrally, the ligule longer than wide ; terminal spike staminate, 4 cm. long, 3.5 mm. wide ; lateral spikes 6, the upper two staminate, the lower four androgynous, 2-3 cm. long, 5 mm. wide, with 20-50 perigynia, dropping on slender peduncles ; lowest bract leaf-like, long-sheathing, the upper reduced ; scales ovate, wider but somewhat shorter than the perigynia, reddish-brown with lighter midvein and whitish-hyaline, erose margins, emarginate, mucronate; perigynia compressed-trigonous, 2.25 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, ascending or spreading, membranaceous, straw-colored, red-dotted, puncticulate, two-ribbed and finely many-nerved, substipitate, rather abruptly contracted into a bidentate beak 0.5 mm. long; achenes trigonous with concave sides. 1.5 x 0.8 mm., closely enveloped, brownish, subapiculate, jointed with the style. [details]
Description Plants cespitose, with short rhizomes; roots pale brown, not densely felted with root hairs; fertile culm 115 cm tall, trigonous, smooth, with glabrous, pale brown, bladeless basal sheaths. Leaves 6, mostly in the lower third of the culm; blades 12-35 cm long, 3.3-5.5 mm wide, plicate, glaucous, densely whitish-papillose abaxially and, to a much lesser extent, adaxially, the margins antrorsely scabrous distally and granular-papillose proximally; leaf sheaths 6-14 cm long, tightly enveloping culm, glabrous, green; inner band glabrous, hyaline and fragile above, stramineous below, brownish purple-streaked, the apex truncate to slightly convex-prolonged; ligules 8.5-14.5 mm long, acute, the free portion prominent, brown-tinged. Vegetative shoots unknown. Inflorescence 39 cm long, with the upper spikes overlapping and the lowest two spikes 22 cm distant, spikes single at nodes, with all but the upper arching on filiform, flexuous, smooth peduncles; lowermost spike with peduncle 6.3 cm long, the uppermost lateral spike sessile; lowermost bract with blade broken off and sheath 4.5 cm long, the uppermost bracts much reduced. Spikes 7, the upper 3 staminate, the rest androgynous. Terminal spike 3.1 cm long, 3.2 mm wide, ca. 100-flowered; peduncle 5.5 mm long. Lateral staminate spikes 0.9-2.1 cm long, ca. 20-40-flowered; lateral androgynous spikes 2.4-3.2 cm long, rarely compound, with secondary spike single, and androgynous, up to 7 mm long; staminate portion of lateral spikes 0.4-1.3 cm long, ca. 25-50 flowered; pistillate portion of lateral spikes 1.3-2.8 cm long, 4.5-5.5 mm wide, 50-70-flowered. Pistillate scales 1.9-2.7 mm long, 1.1-1.4 mm wide, obovate, obtuse to acute, rarely with a cusp to 0.2 mm long, reddish brown with hyaline margins and stramineous, red-streaked center, 3-veined. Staminate scales 3.2-4.3 mm long, 1.7-2.2 mm wide, obovate to oblong, obtuse to acute, pale reddish brown with hyaline margins, 1-veined. Perigynia 2.2-2.9 mm long, 0.8-1.2 mm wide, ascending to spreading, +- flattened-trigonous with flat to convex, narrowly ovate sides, green, densely red-dotted, glabrous, sessile, 10-14-veined with 2 veins prominent and the rest faint, contracted into a beak; beaks 0.5-0.6 mm long, stramineous, smooth or very sparsely scabrous, the apex obscurely bidentulate with teeth to 0.2 mm long. Achene 1.8-1.9 mm long, 0.8-0.9 mm wide, trigonous with ? flat, elliptic to ovate sides, tightly enveloped by the perigynium, pale brown, sessile. Styles withering; stigmas 3. Anthers 3, 1.1-2.3 mm long. [details]
Distribution Known only from the type locality. (Specimens examined from Puebla). [details]
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (2 publications)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To Plants of the World Online
To US Herbarium (Carex conspecta US1032323 type 1)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To Plants of the World Online
To US Herbarium (Carex conspecta US1032323 type 1)
From editor or global species database
Hosted externally
