Eriophorum callitrix Cham. ex C.A. May.
In Mém. Sav. étrang. Acad. St. Pétersbourg I, p. 203. 1830.
Plants caespitose (solitary small tufts). Plants less than 15 cm high (usually); (8–)10–15(–20) cm high. Roots pallid-brown, or black. Ground level or underground stems not developed horizontally or vertically. Scales present. Aerial stems erect; not filiform (0.8–1.2 mm in diameter); circular or oval in cross section; glabrous. Leaves mostly basal. Sheaths forming a conspicuous build up at the base of the plant; brown (pallid); with the margins fused to the apex; glabrous. Ligules present; 0.5–1 mm long; transversely oblong; apices obtuse; entire. Blades straight; linear; triangular in cross section (drying slightly involute); glabrous. Blades adaxial surface glabrous.
Flowering stems conspicuously taller than the leaves; with leaves; uppermost leaf arising below the middle of the stem; glabrous. Leaf or reduced bract closely associated with the base of the inflorescence absent. Inflorescence spicate; dense; ovate; 1–2 cm long; 10–25 mm wide; a single spike. Individual spike(s) erect. Bisexual spike(s) with empty bracts at the base (0.9–1.2 cm long). Terminal spike with both sexes in each floret. Flowers sessile or subsessile. Floral scales black, or pale grey; with margins the same colour as the body of the scale; not reflexed (distinguished this taxon from E. vaginatum s.l.); acute; 5–10 mm long; 2.5–5 mm wide; glabrous. Perianth represented by bristles; bristles silky white, or translucent (sometimes with a copper tinge). Anthers 0.5–0.9 mm long. Stigmas per style 3. Fruit 1.9–2.2 mm long; brown. Achenes trigonous.
Chromosome information. 2n = 60.
Distribution. North American. Low arctic. Common. Arctic Islands: Baffin, Banks, Victoria, and Somerset.
Ecology and habitat. Substrate wet meadows, around the margins of ponds, river terraces, tundra; imperfectly drained, or on seepage slopes (occasionally), or dry (rarely); calcareous; silt, till; with high organic content. This species can form dense stands. In wet meadows and tundra, it is typically found with Carex aquatilis var. stans and Salix in areas grazed by musk oxen. In boggier areas, it is found with E. angustifolium; in drier areas, with Dryas.
Illustrations. • Plants in habitat. Small plants growing in moss. N.W.T., Banks Island, Aulavik National Park, beside Thomsen River, 1 July, 1999, Susan Aiken 99–047, CAN. • Close-up of inflorescence. Close-up of inflorescence with shed anthers more than 1 mm long. N.W.T., Banks Island, Aulavik National Park, beside Thomsen River, 1 July, 1999, Susan Aiken 99–047, CAN. • 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).
