Kobresia Willd.
Cyperaceae, sedge family.
Plants caespitose (densely); often with a build up of dead sheaths at the base; less than 15 cm high, or more than 15 cm high; 3–40 cm high. Roots pallid-brown, or black. Scales absent. Aerial stems erect; filiform, or not filiform; circular or oval in cross-section; glabrous. Leaves mostly basal; deciduous. Petioles absent. Sheaths persisting; forming a conspicuous build up at the base of the plant; greyish brown, or reddish; collars collars absent. Ligules present; 0.1–0.4 mm long. Blades 20–200 mm long; 0.2–2 mm wide; straight; linear; circular in cross section, or folded, or caniculate; with parallel veins; adaxial surface glabrous. Blades abaxial surface glabrous. Leaf margins entire; glabrous. Plants monoecious.
Flowering stems about as high as the leaves, or conspicuously taller than the leaves; with leaves, or without leaves. Leaf or reduced bract closely associated with the base of the inflorescence absent. Inflorescences spicate; inflorescence linear, or oblong, or ovate; inflorescence 0.8–3 cm long; inflorescence 2–10 mm wide; inflorescence a single spike, or multispicate; inflorescence 2–7 spikes (distinct lateral spikes; each spike made up of 10–20 tiny spike-like panicles "spikelets"); inflorescence lateral spikes sessile. Individual spike(s) erect, or ascending. Terminal spike staminate at the apex (lateral "spikelets" have male flowers above and female flowers below). Staminate flowers inconspicuous. Floral scales orange brown; with margins the same colour as the body of the scale, or with margins, and sometimes midvein paler in colour than the adjacent area of the scale, or with margins paler than body of scale; acute; ovate, or obovate; 2–6.5 mm long; 1–3 mm wide; glabrous. Perianth absent. Anthers 1–3 mm long. Carpels syncarpous. Styles long and thick; 1. Stigmas per style 3. Placentation basal. Fruit surrounded by a perigynium. Perigynia open on one side (a sterile scale enclosing sterile scales, a pistillate and one or more staminate flowers); lanceolate, or broadly ovate; 1.9–5.5 mm long; 0.8–1.8 mm wide; sessile; erect or ascending; brown; membranous; surface dull; glabrous; faintly nerved, or appearing nerveless. Fruit an achene; 0.6–3.2 mm long; yellowish, or golden brown, or straw coloured; glabrous. Achenes not filling the upper part of the perigynia; lenticular, or trigonous.
Chromosome information. 2n = 52, 56–57, 58, 60, 70–75.
Distribution. Circumpolar, or North American. Arctic, or low arctic, or alpine. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago widespread, or limited. Common, or rare.
Cite this publication as: ‘S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L.Consaul, R.L. Boles, R. Elven and M.E. LeBlanc. 2001 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Volume 1. Pteridophytes and Monocotyledons: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 16th March 2001. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000), and Aiken, Dallwitz et al. (1999) should also be cited (see References).