114. Carex typhina Michx.
Pl. 61 g–j; Map 230
Flowering stems 15–90
cm long, sharply trigonous, brown at the base. Leaf blades 2–40 cm long, 4–10
mm wide, flat with the margins usually curled under. Leaf sheaths with the tip
not extended past the insertion point of the leaf, shallowly concave, the
ligule longer than wide and V-shaped, the ventral side thin, papery, and white
to light tan, the lowermost sheaths brown to nearly black. Inflorescence with
1–6 spikes loosely spaced near the tip of the axis, the lowermost bract lacking
a sheath or nearly so. Terminal spike pistillate toward the tip and
conspicuously staminate toward the base, the pistillate portion 15–45 mm long,
10–20 mm wide, narrowly oblong-elliptic to narrowly ovate in outline, rounded
at both ends, the staminate portion 4–12 mm long, linear to narrowly
obtriangular. Lateral spikes (if present) 1–5, similar to the terminal one, but
entirely pistillate or less commonly with a few staminate flowers at the base.
Staminate scales 4–8 mm long, oblanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, the tip
bluntly to sharply pointed, orangish brown with a green midrib and lighter
margins. Pistillate scales 4–6 mm long, oblanceolate to lanceolate, the tip bluntly
to sharply pointed, shorter than the perigynium and mostly obscured by it,
orangish brown with a green midrib and lighter margins. Perigynia 5–9 mm long,
mostly spreading, but with the beaks mostly ascending, the surface with 2 ribs,
otherwise nerveless or with 5–9 faint nerves, yellowish green to brown at
maturity. Styles straight or nearly so. Fruits with the main body 2.2–3.0 mm
long, elliptic in outline, trigonous with somewhat concave sides and rounded
angles, dark brown to nearly black, often somewhat iridescent 2n=54.
April–September.
Scattered in the
eastern half of the state, and apparently absent from much of the western half
of the state (eastern U.S. and adjacent Canada west to Minnesota and Texas).
Swamps, bottomland forests, bottomland prairies, moist depressions of upland
prairies, margins of ponds and sinkhole ponds, banks of rivers, and marshes;
also ditches and moist roadsides.
For a discussion of a
putative hybrid with C. shortiana, see the treatment of that species.