Section ACROCYSTIS
Section ACROCYSTIS is represented by eight species in Renfrew County. These species are all upland species that bloom in spring with the perigynia usually being shed before the summer solstice. In some cases these species may be difficult to identify by their perigynia alone but the habit of the inflorescence is generally diagnostic and these are compared in Figure 1. There are two species pairs that superficially look identical, Carex lucorum/pensylvanica and Carex umbellata/tonsa, and require close examination of the perigynia to separate them (see Figures 2 and 3). The simple difference for both of these pairs is the length of the perigynium beak relative to the perigynium body [Crins and Ball, 1983].
- Carex deflexa
- Carex novae-angliae
- Carex peckii
- Carex communis
- Carex pensylvanica
- Carex lucorum
- Carex umbellata
- Carex tonsa var rugosperma
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Figure 1. Comparison of terminal inflorescences (all to same scale).
Figure 2. Comparison of perigynia to same scale.
Figure 3. Comparison of perigynia to same scale.
References
Crins, W.J. and Ball, P.W., The Taxonomy of Carex pensylvanica complex (Cyperaceae) in North America, Can. J. Bot., Vol. 61, pp. 1692-1717, 1983.