View source for Carex debilis

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Carex debilis
|accepted_authority=Michaux
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=Fl. Bor.-Amer.
|place=2: 172. 1803
|year=1803
}}
|common_names=White-edge sedge;weak sedge
|special_status={{Treatment/ID/Special_status
|code=F
|label=Illustrated
}}{{Treatment/ID/Special_status
|code=E
|label=Endemic
}}
|basionyms=
|synonyms=
|hierarchy=Cyperaceae;Carex;Carex sect. Hymenochlaenae;Carex debilis
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Cyperaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Carex]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>section</small>[[Carex sect. Hymenochlaenae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>species</small>[[Carex debilis]]</div></div>
|volume=Volume 23
|mention_page=page 462, 468, 470
|treatment_page=page 469
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Plants </b>densely cespitose. <b>Culms</b> dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–100 cm, as long as leaves at maturity or often longer, 0.5–1 mm thick, glabrous but scabrous within inflorescence. <b>Leaves</b>: basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, glabrous or rarely minutely pubescent; others grading from maroon to green on back, pale brown-hyaline or reddish brown on front, often red dotted, sometimes finely pubescent; blades flat, 2–7 mm wide, glabrous on both surfaces, margins and abaxial midribs often finely scabrous. <b>Inflorescences</b>: peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 50 mm, usually shorter than spikes or only slightly longer, scabrous; of terminal spike 15–50 mm, finely scabrous; proximal bracts longer, or more often, shorter than inflorescences; sheaths 1–7 cm; blades 1–3.5 mm wide. <b>Lateral</b> spikes 2–5, 1 per node, well separated, erect at anthesis, soon nodding, pistillate with 10–25 perigynia attached 2–9 mm apart, linear, 25–80 × 2–3 mm. <b>Terminal</b> spike staminate or sometimes gynecandrous with a few pistillate flowers distally; 15–50 × 0.6–1.2 mm. <b>Pistillate</b> scales white-hyaline, sometimes tinged with pale brown or suffused with chestnut, with broad green midrib, finely red dotted, oblong, 2.8–6 mm, much shorter than mature perigynia, apex obtuse, acute or cuspidate, awn to 0.2 mm, glabrous, distal margin ciliate. <b>Perigynia</b> green to olive-green, usually red dotted, prominently 2-ribbed, finely 12–20-veined, loosely enveloping achene, fusiform to lance-ovoid, 5–9.5 × 1.1–2.2 mm, membranous, base acute, apex tapering gradually to abruptly contracted beak, glabrous or short-pubescent; beak bidentate 0.7–2 mm, including teeth to 1 mm. <b>Achenes</b> stipitate, 1.9–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, stipe 0.5–1.5 mm.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|distribution=N.B.;N.S.;Ont.;P.E.I.;Que.;Ala.;Ark.;Conn.;D.C.;Del.;Fla.;Ga.;Ill.;Ind.;Ky.;La.;Maine;Mass.;Md.;Mich.;Minn.;Miss.;Mo.;N.C.;N.H.;N.J.;N.Y.;Ohio;Okla.;Pa.;R.I.;S.C.;Tenn.;Tex.;Va.;Vt.;W.Va.;Wis.
|discussion=<p>Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).</p><!--
--><p><i>Carex debilis</i> is extremely variable and has been variously subdivided into as many as six varieties or three subspecies. Only two weakly differentiated varieties can be maintained: the typical variety with broadly southern distribution and <i>C. debilis </i>var.<i> rudgei</i>, which replaces it in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the eastern mountains. Both varieties appear to hybridize with <i>C. virescens</i> but these hybrids have not been studied to confirm parentage.</p>
|tables=
|references=
}}<!--

--><div class="treatment-key">
==Key==
<div class="treatment-key-group">
  
{| class="wikitable fna-keytable"
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Perigynia fusiform, 5.5–9.5 mm, tapering very gradually to elongate beak; pistillate scales usually with apex blunt to acute, rarely cuspidate, white or very pale hyaline margins.
|[[Carex debilis var. debilis|Carex debilis var. debilis]]
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Perigynia lance-ellipsoid, 5–6.2 mm, more abruptly narrowed to beak; pistillate scales with apex acute to cuspidate to short-awned, hyaline margins usually suffused or streaked with reddish brown.
|[[Carex debilis var. rudgei|Carex debilis var. rudgei]]
|}
</div></div><!--

-->{{#Taxon:
name=Carex debilis
|authority=Michaux
|rank=species
|parent rank=section
|synonyms=
|basionyms=
|family=Cyperaceae
|distribution=N.B.;N.S.;Ont.;P.E.I.;Que.;Ala.;Ark.;Conn.;D.C.;Del.;Fla.;Ga.;Ill.;Ind.;Ky.;La.;Maine;Mass.;Md.;Mich.;Minn.;Miss.;Mo.;N.C.;N.H.;N.J.;N.Y.;Ohio;Okla.;Pa.;R.I.;S.C.;Tenn.;Tex.;Va.;Vt.;W.Va.;Wis.
|reference=None
|publication title=Fl. Bor.-Amer.
|publication year=1803
|special status=Illustrated;Endemic
|source xml=https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation.git/src/bb6b7e3a7de7d3b7888a1ad48c7fd8f5c722d8d6/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V23/V23_858.xml
|genus=Carex
|section=Carex sect. Hymenochlaenae
|species=Carex debilis
}}<!--

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[[Category:Treatment]]
[[Category:Carex sect. Hymenochlaenae]]
[[Category:Revision Pending]]