Carex alba

Carex alba
	Habit
	Botanical illustration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Cyperaceae
Genus:	Carex
Species:	C. alba
Binomial name
	Carex alba; Scop.
Synonyms
	List Carex ajanensis Vorosch. ; Carex alba f. aprica Kük. ; Carex argentea J.F.Gmel. ; Carex argentea Vill. ; Carex duerrnbergeri Ritzb. ; Carex inclusa Turcz. ex Boott ; Carex nemorosa Schrank ;

Carex alba, called the small white sedge, white-flowered sedge or just white sedge (a name it shares with other members of its genus), is a species of sedge in the family Cyperaceae.^[2] It is typically found in temperate forests of Eurasia, from the Pyrenees to the Russian Far East.^[1] It is the main host plant for the woodland brown butterfly, Lopinga achine.^[3]

Description

Carex alba is a species of sedge, typically growing in thick clumps between 15–30 cm (5.9–11.8 in) in height. Stems are slender, trigonous, smooth; with sheaths that are leafless at the base. Leaves are shorter than the stem, and flat-bladed. Bracts are greenish-brown and sheathlike. Flowers take the form of terminal spikes, and are white in colour. Nutlets are dark brown, obovate-elliptic, trigonous. Flowers and fruits in June to July.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Carex alba favours dry, wooded areas,^[5] temperate pine forests and slopes.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b "Carex alba". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
^ "Carex alba (CRXAA)". EPPO Global Database. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^ Streitberger, Merle; Hermann, Gabriel; Kraus, Wolfgang; Fartmann, Thomas (2012). "Modern forest management and the decline of the Woodland Brown (Lopinga achine) in Central Europe". Forest Ecology and Management. 269: 239–248. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.12.028.
^ "Carex alba Scop". The World Flora Online. October 30, 2024.
^ "Carex alba". www.hessenhof.nl. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
^ "Laîche blanche". INPN - Nature France. November 2, 2024.

[30265209-2-1] "Carex alba". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 30 October 2024.

[CRXAA-2] "Carex alba (CRXAA)". EPPO Global Database. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.

[1_of_1050_Google_Scholar_Hits-3] Streitberger, Merle; Hermann, Gabriel; Kraus, Wolfgang; Fartmann, Thomas (2012). "Modern forest management and the decline of the Woodland Brown (Lopinga achine) in Central Europe". Forest Ecology and Management. 269: 239–248. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.12.028.

[4] "Carex alba Scop". The World Flora Online. October 30, 2024.

[5] "Carex alba". www.hessenhof.nl. Retrieved 2024-11-02.

[6] "Laîche blanche". INPN - Nature France. November 2, 2024.

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