Carex ferruginea

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Carex ferruginea
Carex ferruginea (Rost-Segge) IMG 3517.jpg
Habit
Carex ferruginea illustration (01) (cropped).jpg
Botanical illustration
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Carex
Species:
C. ferruginea
Binomial name
Carex ferruginea
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Carex alpigenaA.Kern. ex Dalla Torre
    • Carex brachyrhynchaGsaller
    • Carex brevifoliaHost
    • Carex cristataClairv.
    • Carex ferruginea subsp. kerneri(Kohts) K.Richt.
    • Carex frigidaVill.
    • Carex gracillimaSteud. & Hochst.
    • Carex kerneriKohts
    • Carex mielichhoferiSchkuhr
    • Carex nanaLam.
    • Carex rigidaSchrank
    • Carex scopolianaWilld.
    • Carex scopoliiGaudin
    • Carex spadiceaHost
    • Carex spadiceaJ.F.Gmel.
    • Carex tenerrimaMurr & Appel
    • Edritria ferruginea(Scop.) Raf.

Carex ferruginea, the rusty sedge or rust-coloured sedge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cyperaceae. [2] [3] It is native to the Alps, the southern Carpathians, and the western Balkan Peninsula, and has been introduced to the U.S. state of New Jersey. [1] It is a glacial relict species. [4]

Contents

This species is a part of the distinctive grassland communities along the alpine chain. A phytosociological survey of the south-eastern Alps described the new ecological association Hormino pyrenaici–Caricetum ferrugineae, highlighting the independence of this flora from that of the northern Alps. [5]

Distribution and habitat

The species ranges throughout the entire Alpine arc, the Jura, the southern Carpathians and parts of the Balkan Peninsula. [5]

It occupies the subalpine belt at roughly 1700–2300 metres elevation, where it builds dense, sloping meadows in sites with a constant groundwater supply—either from shallow aquifers in depressions or from the slow melt of long-lasting snow beds. On steep, freely draining slopes the prolonged snow-melt is vital for retaining soil moisture. [5]

Community composition and ecology

South-eastern Alpine stands differ floristically from their northern counterparts. Diagnostic companions include the dragon's-mouth Horminum pyrenaicum , Pedicularis elongata , Potentilla crantzii , Scorzonera aristata , Knautia longifolia and Festuca norica . [5]

The meadows are dominated by C. ferruginea with frequent Carex sempervirens , Sesleria varia , Deschampsia cespitosa and F. norica beneath a conspicuous layer of flowering herbs such as Trollius europaeus , Leontodon hispidus and Veratrum album . [5]

The association is recorded from the Val d'Adige (Bolzano) eastwards to at least the Canal del Ferro (Udine), with probable extensions into the Insubrian Alps and the Alpine foothills. [5] Four sub-associations are recognised: [5]

Ecological significance

Because these grasslands rely on very specific geomorphological, edaphic and microclimatic settings, they tend to be long-lived landscape features. Their phytogeographical distinctness underlines the autonomy of the south-eastern Alpine flora from both the northern Alpine Caricetum ferrugineae and the Illyrian Hyperico alpini–Caricetum ferrugineae communities. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Carex ferruginea Scop". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  2. "Carex ferruginea Rusty Sedge". ukwildflowers.com. Peter Llewellyn. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  3. "Carex ferruginea Scop. Rust-coloured Sedge". plantnet.org. Pl@ntNet. 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  4. Teofilovski, Aco (21 December 2017). "Noteworthy floristic records from Jablanica Mt., Republic of Macedonia". Acta Musei Macedonici Scientiarum Naturalium. 20 (1): 15–24.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Buffa, G.; Sburlino, G. (2001). "Carex ferruginea grasslands in the south-eastern Alps". Plant Biosystems. 135 (2): 195–206. Bibcode:2001PBios.135..195B. doi:10.1080/11263500112331350830.