Carex pilulifera
| Carex pilulifera | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Carex |
| Subgenus: | C. subg. Carex |
| Section: | C. sect. Acrocystis |
| Species: | C. pilulifera |
| Binomial name | |
| Carex pilulifera L. |
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| Synonyms [1] | |
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Carex oederi Retz. |
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Carex pilulifera is a European species of sedge found in acid heaths, woods and grassland from Macaronesia to Scandinavia. It grows up to 30 cm (12 in) tall, with 2–4 female spikes and 1 male spike in an inflorescence. These stalks bend as the seeds ripen, and the seeds are collected and dispersed by ants of the species Myrmica ruginodis.
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[edit] Description
The culms of Carex pilulifera grow to a length of 8–30 centimetres (3–12 in), and are often noticeably curved.[2] The leaves are 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long and 1.5–2.0 millimetres (0.06–0.08 in) wide, and are fairly flat.[2] The rhizomes of C. pilulifera are very short, giving the plant a caespitose (densely tufted) appearance.[2] The tussock grows outwards through the production of annual side-shoots.[3]
The inflorescence comprises a single, terminal, male (staminate) spike, and 2–4 lateral female (pistillate) spikes.[2] The spikes are clustered together, and the whole inflorescence is 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in) long.[2] The female spikes are 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long, ovoid or approaching spherical,[2] and contains 5–15 flowers.[3] The female spikes are attached directly to the stem, and each is subtended by a bract which does not form a sheath.[2] The male spike is 8–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long and much narrower.[2]
[edit] Distribution and ecology
Carex pilulifera has a wide distribution in Europe, extending from Macaronesia and the Balkan Peninsula to Scandinavia.[1] It grows on acidic substrates including heathland, grassland and woodland.[3] It typically inhabits soils with a pH of 4.5–6.0.[2]
As the seeds of C. pilulifera ripen, the culms bend, and can eventually touch the ground.[3] The seeds are then dispersed by ants, particularly Myrmica ruginodis,[3] in a process known as myrmecochory, and are eaten by other insects, such as the ground beetle Harpalus fuliginosus.[3]
[edit] Taxonomic history
Carex pilulifera was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum, which marks the starting point of botanical nomenclature.[1] The specific epithet pilulifera means "bearing small globular structures", in reference to the female spikes.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c A. O. Chater (2010). "Carex". In T. G. Tutin, V. H. Heywood, N. A. Burges, D. A. Webb & I. B. K. Richardson. Alismataceae to Orchidaceae. Flora Europaea. 5. Cambridge University Press. pp. 290–323. ISBN 9780521153706.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i A. C. Jermy, D. A. Simpson, M. J. Y. Foley & M. S. Porter (2007). "Carex pilulifera L.". Sedges of the British Isles. BSBI Handbook No. 1 (3rd ed.). Botanical Society of the British Isles. pp. 431–433. ISBN 978-0-901158-35-2.
- ^ a b c d e f Gösta Kjellsson (1985). "Seed fate in a population of Carex pilulifera L. I. Seed dispersal and ant-seed mutualism". Oecologia 67 (3): 416–423. doi:10.1007/BF00384949. JSTOR 4217752.
- ^ "Pillerstarr, Carex pilulifera L." (in Swedish). Den virtuella floran. Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. July 28, 2010. http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/mono/cypera/carex/carepil.html. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
[edit] External links
Media related to Carex pilulifera at Wikimedia Commons
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