Carex pulicaris

Carex pulicaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Cyperaceae
Genus:	Carex
Subgenus:	Carex subg. Psyllophora
Section:	Carex sect. Unciniiformes
Species:	C. pulicaris
Binomial name
	Carex pulicaris; L.
Synonyms
	Carex psyllophora L.f.; Caricinella pulicaris (L.) St.-Lag.; Psyllophora pulicaris (L.) Schur; Psyllophora puliciformis Montandon; Psyllophora vulgaris Heuff.; Vignea pulicaris (L.) Rchb.;

Carex pulicaris, the flea sedge, is a species of sedge in the genus Carex native to Europe.

Description

Carex pulicaris is a small sedge, with stiff stems 10–30 centimetres (4–12 in) tall.^[1] The leaves are 5–25 cm (2–10 in) long and less than 1 millimetre (0.04 in) wide.^[1] The inflorescence comprises a single spike, with 3–10 female flowers towards the base, and male flowers towards the tip.^[1]^[2] As the utricles mature, they bend away from the spike axis and become sensitive to touch; the way the seeds appear to jump from the stem gives rise to the plant's vernacular name.^[1] Before the utricles have become deflexed, C. pulicaris closely resembles C. rupestris, with which it often grows.^[1] It may also be confused with C. pauciflora, which usually bears only 2–3 fruit per stem.^[2]

Distribution and ecology

Carex pulicaris is found across much of Europe, from Spain to Estonia and north to Iceland and Fennoscandia, but excluding the Mediterranean region.^[3] It grows in a variety of wet habitats, including bogs, fens and wet flushes.^[4]

Taxonomy

Carex pulicaris was first described in Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum. It is not known to hybridise with any other species.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f A. C. Jermy; D. A. Simpson; M. J. Y. Foley; M. S. Porter (2007). "Carex pulicaris L.". Sedges of the British Isles. BSBI Handbook No. 1 (3rd ed.). Botanical Society of the British Isles. pp. 512–514. ISBN 978-0-901158-35-2.
^ ^a ^b Carl Farmer. "Flea sedge, Carex pulicaris". West Highland Flora. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
^ "Loppstarr, Carex pulicaris L." Den virtuella floran. Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
^ Clive A. Stace (2010). "Carex L. – sedges". New Flora of the British Isles (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 951–974. ISBN 978-0-521-70772-5.

External links

Media related to Carex pulicaris at Wikimedia Commons

[Jermy-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f A. C. Jermy; D. A. Simpson; M. J. Y. Foley; M. S. Porter (2007). "Carex pulicaris L.". Sedges of the British Isles. BSBI Handbook No. 1 (3rd ed.). Botanical Society of the British Isles. pp. 512–514. ISBN 978-0-901158-35-2.

[Skye-2] Carl Farmer. "Flea sedge, Carex pulicaris". West Highland Flora. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

[3] "Loppstarr, Carex pulicaris L." Den virtuella floran. Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

[Stace-4] Clive A. Stace (2010). "Carex L. – sedges". New Flora of the British Isles (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 951–974. ISBN 978-0-521-70772-5.

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