| Carex hirta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female spikes | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Carex |
| Subgenus: | Carex subg. Carex |
| Section: | Carex sect. Carex |
| Species: | C. hirta |
| Binomial name | |
| Carex hirta | |
Carex hirta, the hairy sedge or hammer sedge, [1] is a species of sedge native across Europe. It has characteristic hairy leaves and inflorescences, and is the type species of the genus Carex .
Carex hirta grows 15–70 centimetres (6–28 in) tall, with leaves 10–50 cm (4–20 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.08–0.20 in) (occasionally up to 8 mm or 0.3 in) wide. [2] The stems are trigonous (roughly triangular in cross-section), but with convex, rounded faces. [2] The leaves, leaf sheaths and ligules are all hairy, although plants growing in wetter positions may be less hairy; these have sometimes been separated as C. hirta var. sublaevis by Jens Wilken Hornemann, but this may not be a worthwhile taxon. [2] The culms bear 2–3 lateral female spikes, each 10–45 mm (0.4–1.8 in) long, and on half-ensheathed peduncles up to twice the length of the spike. [2] There are 2–3 male spikes at the end of the culm, each 10–30 mm (0.4–1.2 in) long. [2] The hairy utricles, male glumes and leaves make it hard to confuse Carex hirta with any other Carex species. [2]
Carex hirta is native to Europe, and is found across the British Isles, albeit with records becoming very scarce in the far north. [3] It has been introduced to North America. [1] It was first recorded in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1877, and has since been found across much of the eastern United States and Canada. [4]
Carex hirta is the type species of the genus Carex , [5] and therefore also of the subgenus Carex and the section Carex. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 Species Plantarum , and the lectotype, from the herbarium of Adriaan van Royen, was designated by Ilkka Kukkonen in 1992. [6] [7]
Carex is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called true sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as caricology.
Carex chordorrhiza, commonly called creeping sedge or string sedge, is a species of perennial plant in the family Cyperaceae with Holarctic distribution growing in acidic bogs.
Carex vesicaria is an essentially Holarctic species of sedge known as bladder sedge, inflated sedge, and blister sedge. It has been used to insulate footwear in Norway and among the Sami people, and for basketry in North America.
Carex pensylvanica is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family commonly called Pennsylvania sedge. Other common names include early sedge, common oak sedge, and yellow sedge.
Carex riparia, the greater pond sedge, is a species of sedge found across Europe and Asia. It grows in a variety of wet habitats, and can be a dominant species in some swamps. It is Britain's largest Carex, growing up to 130 cm tall, with glaucous leaves up to 160 cm long. It hybridises with a number of other Carex species, including the closely related Carex acutiformis – the lesser pond sedge. A variegated cultivar is grown as an ornamental grass.
Carex binervis, the green-ribbed sedge, is a European species of sedge with an Atlantic distribution. It is found from Fennoscandia to the Iberian Peninsula, and occurs in heaths, moorland and other damp, acidic environments. It typically grows to a height of 15–120 cm (6–50 in), and has inflorescences comprising one male and several female spikes, each up to 45 mm (1.8 in) long. The utricles have two conspicuous green veins, which give rise to both the scientific name and the common name of the species. In the vegetative state, it closely resembles C. bigelowii, a species that usually grows at higher altitude. C. binervis was first described by James Edward Smith in 1800, and is classified in Carex sect. Spirostachyae; several hybrids with other Carex species are known.
Carex spicata is a species of sedge in the genus Carex.
Carex pilulifera, the pill sedge, is a European species of sedge found in acid heaths, woods and grassland from Macaronesia to Scandinavia. It grows up to 30 cm (12 in) tall, with 2–4 female spikes and 1 male spike in an inflorescence. These stalks bend as the seeds ripen, and the seeds are collected and dispersed by ants of the species Myrmica ruginodis.
Carex sylvatica is a species of sedge found in deciduous woodlands across Europe. It typically reaches 60 cm (24 in) tall, and has an inflorescence made up of 3–5 pendent female spikes and a single male spike. It is also used as a garden plant, and has been introduced to North America and New Zealand.
Carex micropoda is a species of sedge found in temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Carex eburnea, known as ivory sedge, ebony sedge, and bristleleaf or bristle-leaved sedge, is a small and slender sedge native to North America, from Alaska and Newfoundland south to central Mexico.
Carex pulicaris, the flea sedge, is a species of sedge in the genus Carex native to Europe.
Carex rosea, the rosy sedge, is a flowering plant and part of the family Cyperaceae. Synonyms for Carex rosea include Carex concoluta, and Carex flaccidula. It is native to central and eastern North America and it exists in wet to dry soils. Carex rosea can be found in shores of streams and bottomlands, as well as ponds. It is known to have good adaptations to dry-shade locations. It is an evergreen plant which is easy to grow.
Carex inversa, commonly known as knob sedge, is a species of sedge of the family Cyperaceae that is native to parts of Australia and New Zealand and has also been introduced into Great Britain.
Carex brevior, known as shortbeak sedge and plains oval sedge, is a species of sedge native to North America. The specific epithet brevior means "shorter" in Latin.
Carex remota, the remote sedge, is a species in the genus Carex, native to Europe, the Atlas Mountains in Africa, and western Asia. It is a riparian forest specialist. It is known as one of the most frequently hybridizing species of Carex, forming hybrids with C. appropinquata, C. arenaria, C. brizoides, C. canescens, C. divulsa, C. echinata, C. elongata, C. leporina, C. otrubae, C. paniculata, and C. spicata.
Carex deweyanaDewey's sedge, short-scale sedge, is a species of sedge native to Canada and the United States.
Carex breviscapa is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to eastern parts of the south east Asia and north eastern Australia
Carex interrupta is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to south eastern parts of Canada and north eastern parts of the United States.
Carex adrienii, known in China as guang dong tai cao, is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native from southern China in the north to Vietnam in the south.