Mendocino Sedge

Occasional sterile hybrids between Carex mendocinensis and C. gynodynama are found where the species grow together. Specimens from the northern part of the range tend to have pubescent leaf sheaths and perigynia that taper more gradually to the beak.

Plants densely cespitose. Culms dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–80 cm, much longer than leaves at maturity, 1–1.8 mm thick, glabrous but scabrous on angles, especially within inflorescence. Leaves: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, glabrous on back; others grading from maroon to green on back, brown-hyaline and usually red dotted on front, glabrous or often pubescent near apex; blades flat, 2.5–5.5 mm wide, usually less than 4 mm wide, glabrous or sparingly rough-hispidulous on 1 or both surfaces, margins scabrous, especially distally. Inflorescences: peduncles of proximal spikes 0–65 mm and finely scabrous; peduncle of terminal spike 0–12 mm, scabrous; proximal bracts equaling or exceeding inflorescences; sheaths 8–40 mm; blades 1–4 mm wide. Lateral spikes 3–5, 1 per node, well separated, erect or arching at maturity, pistillate with 20–45 perigynia attached 0.5–2 mm apart, rarely the distal staminate, linear to narrowly cylindric, 10–60 × 2.5–6 mm. Terminal spike staminate, rarely with a few perigynia, sessile or pedunculate, 18–38 × 1.2–4 mm. Pistillate scales with green midrib and broad pale hyaline margins suffused with reddish or golden brown, broadly ovate, shorter than mature perigynia, apex acute to rounded, sometimes cuspidate, margins ciliate distally, otherwise glabrous. Perigynia green to golden green, usually blotched or dotted with dark red, 2-ribbed and finely 12–15-veined, veins more obvious on abaxial side, loosely enveloping achene, oblong-lanceolate, 2.7–5 × 0.8–1.8 mm, membranous, base acute, apex tapering to beak, sparsely pubescent toward apex; beak minutely bidentate, 0.3–1 mm, ciliate between apical teeth. Achenes sessile, 1.6–2.5 × 0.9–1.5 mm. 2n = 56, 58, 60.

Calif., Oreg.

Fruiting late spring–summer.

Seepage areas, wet meadows, coastal prairies, springy slopes, mixed evergreen forest, associated with serpentine soils near the Pacific Coast; 100–1600m.

Carex cinnamomea Olney 1868, not Boott 1846; C. debiliformis Mackenzie

Carex mendocinensis is distributed only within California and southern Oregon. It is typically found in Seeps, moist meadows, coastal prairies, spring emergences and mixed evergreen forest at elevations ranging from 100 to 1600 meters. This sedge is typically associated with serpentine soils and occurs not far from the Pacific Coast.

This species grows in dense tufts and may achieve a height of eighty centimeters. The culm bases are dark maroon, accompanied by upper surfaces of the basal sheaths of a maroon coloration.

Carex debiliformis Mackenzie, Bull. Torrey Club 37:244. 1910.
Carex cinnamomea Olney; A. Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 8: 396. 1872. (Type from Mendocino County,
California.) Not C. cinnamomea Boott, 1846. "Carex mendocinensis Olney" Mackenzie, Krythea 8: 63, in part. 1922.
Clumps medium-sized, not stoloniferous, the rootstocks somewhat elongate, the culms 5-8 dm. high, very slender, nodding, much exceeding the leaves, aphyllopodic, obtusely triangular, smooth below the spikes, brownish-red at base; sterile shoots numerous, elongate, their culms well-developed; leaves with well-developed blades usually 3 or 4 to a fertile culm, widely separated, the blades erect, usually 5-12 cm. long, 1.75-2.5 mm. wide, flat toward apex, channeled toward base, the margins revolute, very sparsely hispidulous, pubescent near the base, deep-green, thin, roughened especially on the margins and toward the apex; sterile-culm leaves long-attenuate, much longer (1.5-3.5 dm. long); sheaths very long, very sparsely hispidulous dorsally, whitish-hyaline and brownish-tinged ventrally, the ligule longer than wide ; terminal spike staminate, or occasionally with one or two perigynia at base or little separate, long-peduncled, slender, linear, 1.5-3.5 cm. long, 2-3 mm. wide, the scales closely appressed, oblong-obovate, obtuse or acutish, cinnamon-brown with broad white-hyaline margins and lighter midvein; pistillate spikes 2 or 3, the lower at least strongly separate, the upper more or less so, the uppermost erect, short-peduncled or nearly sessile, the lower weakly erect, slenderpeduncled, slender, linear, 1.5-5 cm. long, 3.5-4.5 mm. wide, closely flowered above, loosely at base, the perigynia 20-50, appressed-ascending in few rows; bracts leaflet-like, the lowest with elongate smooth sheath 2-3 cm. long, and blade exceeding the spike, the upper with shorter blades and sheaths; scales ovate, sharply keeled, obtuse to cuspidate, minutely ciliate, sometimes sparingly appressed-pubescent, cinnamon-brown with lighter midvein and hyaline margins, one half to three fourths the length of and nearly as wide below as the perigynia; perigynia oblong-oblanceolate, 3.5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, triangular or somewhat flattenedtriangular, glabrous, light-green, membranaceous, puncticulate, obscurely few-nerved, tapering at base and substipitate, abruptly contracted at apex into a hyaline bidentate beak 0.5 mm. long, short-ciliate at mouth, and sometimes sparingly appressed-pubescent above; achenes oblong-obovoid, 2.5 mm. long, 1.25 mm. wide, triangular with concave sides and blunt angles, closely enveloped, brownish, granular, slenderly but conspicuously rather short-stipitate, abruptly conspicuously apiculate, jointed with the short slender style; stigmas 3, slender, rather short.
Type locality (of C. cinnamomea Olney, on which C. debiliformis is based): Mendocino County, California (Bolander 6477).
Distribution: Swampy places, southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. (Specimens examined from southwestern Oregon; northwestern California.)

Carex mendocinensis Olney; W. Boott, in S. Wats Bot. Calif. 2: 249. 1880.
Clumps medium-sized, not stoloniferous, the rootstock somewhat elongate, the culms 2.5-8 dm. high, very slender, nodding, much exceeding the leaves, strongly aphyllopodic, rather obtusely triangular, smooth below the spikes, strongly purplish-red and scaly at the base; sterile shoots numerous, reduced to tufts of leaves, their culms not developed; leaves with well-developed blades about 7 to a culm, the lower clustered, the upper widely separated, the blades ascending, 5-10 cm. long, 3-5 mm. wide, flat with revolute margins, somewhat channeled toward base, dull-green, firm, rough-hispidulous on both sides, attenuate; sterileculm blades 1-3 dm. long; sheaths very long, hispidulous dorsally, whitish-hyaline and brownish-tinged ventrally, the ligule longer than wide; terminal spike staminate, or occasionally with one or two perigynia at base, sessile or very short-peduncled, slender, linear, 2-3.5 cm. long, 2.5-4 mm. wide, the scales closely appressed, oblong-obovate, obtuse or acutish, slightly ciliate, dull-reddish -brown with hyaline margins and lighter midvein; pistillate spikes 2 or 3, slender, erect, more or less strongly separate, the uppermost nearly sessile, nearly equaling the staminate spike, the lower peduncled, linear, 2-4 cm. long, 3-4.5 mm. wide, closely flowered above, loosely at base, the perigynia 20-40, appressed-ascending, in few rows; bracts leaf -like, the lowest with elongate hispidulous sheath 2-3 cm. long and blade nearly equaling the culm, the upper with shorter blades and sheaths; scales ovate, short-cuspidate to obtuse, sharply keeled, slightly ciliate, cinnamon-brown with green midrib and narrow hyaline margins, as wide as and one half to three fourths the length of the perigynia; perigynia oblong-oblanceolate, 4-5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, triangular or somewhat flattened-triangular, oblong-obovate, glabrous below, minutely pubescent on angles toward apex, light-green, membranaceous, puncticulate, lightly few-nerved, tapering at base and substipitate, abruptly contracted at apex into a bidentate beak 0.5 mm. long, ciliate at mouth; achenes oblong-obovoid, 2.5 mm. long, 1.25 mm. wide, triangular with concave sides and blunt angles, closely enveloped, brownish, granular, slenderly but conspicuously rather short-stipitate, abruptly conspicuously apiculate, jointed with the short slender style; stigmas 3, slender, rather short.
Type locality: Mendocino County, California (Bolander 4701).
Distribution: Along streams in the coast ranges of Mendocino County, northwestern California. (Specimens examined showing range as given.)

Carex mendocinensis adalah spesies tumbuhan seperti rumput yang tergolong ke dalam famili Cyperaceae. Spesies ini juga merupakan bagian dari ordo Poales. Spesies Carex mendocinensis sendiri merupakan bagian dari genus Carex. Nama ilmiah dari spesies ini pertama kali diterbitkan oleh Olney ex Boott.

Carex mendocinensis là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Cói. Loài này được Olney ex Boott mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1880.