Carex capillacea Boott APNI*
Description: Rhizome short; shoots densely tufted. Culms erect, slender, terete to trigonous, smooth, 3–15 (rarely to 30) cm long, c. 0.5 mm diam.
Leaves usually shorter than culms; blade c. 0.5 mm wide; sheath green to pale brown; ligule obtuse.
Inflorescence erect, 0.5–1 cm long, with 1 spike; lowest involucral bract shorter than inflorescence. Spike androgynous, with male portion as long as female. Glumes obtuse, orange-brown; female glumes 1.3–2 mm long. Perigynia (utricles) ovoid, strongly nerved, 1.8–2.4 mm long, c. 1 mm diam., glabrous, pale brown, sometimes red-dotted; beak 0.2–0.5 mm long, with apex notched. Anthers c. 0.8 mm long excluding appendage c. 0.1 mm long. Style 3-fid.
Nut ovoid, trigonous in cross section, pale brown, occasionally red-dotted.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Point Lookout area (Northern Tablelands), and south from the Brindabella Range (Southern Tablelands). Grows in high altitude to alpine swamps, commonly with Sphagnum.
NSW subdivisions: NT, ST
Other Australian states: Vic.
The spikes of this species have a longer male portion than C. cephalotes or C. archeri.
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (Aug 2016) Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
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