Carex gynocrates Wormsk. ex Drej.
Rev. crit. car., p. 16. 1841.
Nomenclatural section used by Flora of North America project subgenus Vignea, sect. Physoglochin Dumortier
Carex dioica L. subsp. gynocrates (Wormsk. ex Drej.) Hultén
Carex dioica L. var. gynocrates (Wormsk. ex Drej.) Ostenf.
Carex parallela auct. non (Laestad.) Sommerf.
Carex gynocrates Wormsk.
Carex alaskana Boeck.
Plants caespitose. Plants less than 15 cm high; 4–15 cm high. Roots pallid-brown. Ground level or underground stems horizontal; stoloniferous; compact. Scales absent. Aerial stems erect; filiform (0.5–0.8 mm in diameter. Porsild, 1957); circular or oval in cross section; glabrous. Leaves mostly basal. Sheaths greyish brown, or green. Ligules present. Blades straight; linear; flat, or bristle-like (Porsild, 1957), or involute (loosely so; narrow leaves have a relatively distinct cross section); glabrous. Blades adaxial surface glabrous.
Flowering stems about as high as the leaves (usually), or conspicuously taller than the leaves. Leaf or reduced bract closely associated with the base of the inflorescence absent. Inflorescence spicate; 0.4–1.3 cm long; 1.5–7 mm wide (staminate spikes 1.5–2 mm; pistillate spikes 3–7 mm); a single spike (either staminate and linear, pistillate and cylindric, or staminate above and pistillate beneath). Individual spike(s) erect. Terminal spike wholly staminate, or staminate at the apex. Cladoprophyll absent. Staminate flowers conspicuous (when present as a completely staminate spike). Floral scales shorter than the perigynium in fruit; orange brown; with margins, and sometimes mid-vein paler in colour than the adjacent area of the scale (translucent); ovate; 2–2.5 mm long; 1.3–1.7 mm wide; glabrous. Perianth absent. Anthers 2.3–2.7 mm long. Styles slender, extending beyond the beak. Stigmas per style 2. Fruit surrounded by a perigynium. Perigynia with a slit running down the beak on the abaxial side through which the style protrudes; broadly ovate; 2.5–2.9 mm long; 1.3–1.7 mm wide; sessile; spreading at maturity; golden brown; surface glossy; glabrous; strongly nerved; apices beaked with a short beak; apex oblique, becoming slightly bidentate. Achenes filling the perigynia; lenticular.
Chromosome information. 2n = 48 and 50.
Distribution. Circumpolar. Low arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago limited. Rare. Arctic Islands: Baffin (Kimmirut, Isortoq River).
Ecology and habitat. Substrate wet meadows (in springy places with Sphagnum); imperfectly drained; calcareous; with high organic content, or peat.
Notes. Polunin (1940) noted that this sedge varies greatly in appearance according to the stage of development of the fruits which seem to be produced in relatively small numbers.
Porsild (1957) mapped one record from Kimmirut. Since then a collection from Isortoq River (69° 56'N, 76° 50'W) is a significant range extension, suggesting the species should be looked for at other locations on Baffin Island.
Illustrations. • Close-up of staminate inflorescence. Linear staminate spike at anthesis. CAN 19160. • Close-up of pistillate inflorescence. Immature pistillate spike with perigynia (two stigmas per style) appressed to the main stem. CAN 19158. • Close-up of pistillate inflorescence. Mature pistillate spike with perigynia spreading at right angles to the main stem, CAN 19157. • Arctic Island distribution.
Cite this publication as: Aiken, S.G., Boles, R.L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 1999 onwards. ‘Cyperaceae of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval.’ Version: 6th November 2000. http://http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).
