Salt Sedge

Carex hassei probably occurs in Colorado.

K. K. Mackenzie (1931–1935, parts 2–3, pp. 233–234) combined Carex hassei with C. garberi; a number of characteristics distinguish the two, though none gives an absolute separation. Eastern floras recognise C. garberi as a distinct species; recent western floras do not distinguish the two and some treat both as synonyms of C. aurea. Much western material of C. garberi has been determined as C. hassei; much material of C. hassei has in turn been determined as C. aurea. The two species are for the most part allopatric with an area of overlap in the northwestern United States and especially Oregon and Washington, where many of the populations show various combinations of the characters of C. aurea, C. hassei, and C. garberi.

The eastern limits of the distribution of Carex hassei are unclear. It appears to be very uncommon in the eastern part of its range, where it has been confused with C. aurea. Most specimens from that area were collected too early in the season for the distinctive fruit characteristics to have developed, so they are difficult to determine with certainty.

Culms 10–40(–70) cm. Leaves: blades 5–20(–1.5–25) cm × 2–3(–3.7) mm. Inflorescences: proximal bracts with well-developed blades exceeding inflorescences, sheaths to 10 mm, rarely in dwarf alpine plants with bracts scalelike, sheathless; lateral spikes with (3–) 10–30 flowers, approximate or proximal distant, dense to somewhat lax, (4–)10–23 × 3–5 mm; middle internodes 0.5–1 mm; terminal spike usually staminate, occasionally gynecandrous, sessile or short-pedunculate, 6–18 mm, (1.8–)2–3.5 mm wide in staminate portion. Pistillate scales ascending, pale brown to medium brown with paler center, ovate to ovate-circular, 2–3.2 × 1.2–2 mm, apex obtuse to acuminate, often mucronate to aristate. Proximal staminate scales pale brown with paler midvein and hyaline margins, oblong-obovate, 3–6(–15) mm, apex obtuse to long-acuminate. Perigynia ascending, whitish, elliptic-obovate, (2.1–)2.3–3.1 × 1.2–1.9 mm, densely papillose. Achenes elliptic-circular, 1.2–2 × 1.1–1.5 mm.

B.C.; Ariz., Calif., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Mexico (Baja California).

Fruiting summer.

Meadows; 1000–3000m.

Carex saliniformis Mackenzie

Carex hassei L. H. Bailey, Bot. Gaz. 21: 5. 1896
Carex aurea var. androgyna OIney, in S. Wats. Bot. King's Expl. 371. in large part. 1871. (Type
from Presque Isle, Pennsylvania.) Carex aurea var. celsa L. H. Bailey, Mem. Torrey Club 1: 75. 1889. (Type from San Bernardino
Mountains. California.) -Carex bicolor All." Rob. & Fern. Man. 232. 1908. Carex celsa Piper; Piper & Beattie. Fl. NW. Coast 79. 1915. (Based on C. aurea var. celsa L. H.
Bailey.) Not C. celsa Boott. 1862.
Loosely cespitose and long-stoloniferous, the stolons very slender, horizontal, yellowishbrown, the clumps medium-sized or small, the culms slender, erect, 0.5-7 dm. high, triangular, more or less roughened above, phyllopodic, exceeding leaves, light-brownish-tinged at base; leaves with well-developed blades usually 5-7 to a fertile culm, on lower fourth, more numerous on the sterile, the blades usually 0.5-2 dm. long, 2-4 mm. w-ide, light-green, not flaccid, flat above, channeled at base, roughened towards the attenuate apex; sheaths concave at mouth, the ligule about as wide as long; terminal spike staminate or gynaecandrous, erect, shortpeduncled, 6-20 mm. long, the staminate part 2-3 mm. wide, the staminate scales oblongobovate, obtusish or acutish, reddish-brown, with lighter center and narrow hyaline margins; pistillate spikes 3-5, approximate or the lower strongly separate, often nearly basal, erect, the upper short-peduncled or sessile, the lower long-peduncled, the peduncles slightly rough, the spikes linear-oblong, 0.7-2.5 cm. long, 3.5-4.5 mm. wide, with 10-30 appressed-ascending perigynia in several rows, closely flowered above, more loosely at base, sometimes more or less compound at base; lower bracts leaflet-like, prominently short-sheathing, the sheath concave at mouth, not biauriculate, the blades much exceeding inflorescence; upper bracts smaller; cladoprophyllum conspicuous, perigynium-like; scales ovate-suborbicular, obtuse, mucronate, acute, or acuminate, appressed, not divaricate, generally a little shorter and narrower than the perigynia, reddish-brown with broad, lighter, 3-nerved center and whitish-hyaline margins and usually conspicuous white-hyaline apex; perigynia elliptic-obovoid, flattened, suborbicular in cross-section, not inflated, 2.5-3 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, rather obscurely ribbed, membranaceous, minutely densely granular, whitish-pulverulent, not fleshy, not translucent, tapering and broadly short-stipitate at base, rounded and beakless or very nearly so at apex, the orifice entire; achenes lenticular, with suborbicular face, 1.5 mm. long, 1.25 mm. wide, closely enveloped, substipitate, brownish, minutely densely puncticulate, abruptly minutely apiculate, jointed with the short, slender, black, slightly exscrted style; stigmas two, short, slender, blackish.
TvPB i»cality: San Antonio CafSon, San Bernardino ranKc, California (/lasse).
Distribution River banks and wet r<x:ks. in calcareous districts, Quebec and New Brunswick to Yukon, and southward to Maine, northwestern Pennsylvania. Alberta, and in the mountains to Utah, Nevada and southern California. ^Specimens examined from Quebec, New Brunswick, Maine. New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alberta, Mackenzie. Yukon, British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah.)

Carex hassei is a species of sedge known by the common name salt sedge. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California to New Mexico, where it grows in moist places, such as meadows.