Prickly sedge

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Prickly sedge
Prickly sedge (Carex spicata)

Prickly sedge ( Carex spicata )

Systematics
Monocots
Commelinids
Order : Sweet grass (Poales)
Family : Sourgrass family (Cyperaceae)
Genre : Sedges ( Carex )
Type : Prickly sedge
Scientific name
Carex spicata
Huds.

The prickly sedge ( Carex spicata ), also called cork-fruited sedge , is a plant species within the sour grass family (Cyperaceae). It is distributed from Europe to West Asia and North Africa.

description

Vegetative characteristics

The prickly sedge is a perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights between 20 and 60 centimeters. The root bark is purple to black-violet. It does not form runners and grows in small to medium-sized clumps . The mostly rigidly upright stalk is clearly triangular in shape and slightly rough in the lower part. The leaves are 2 to 4 millimeters wide, smooth or slightly rough and mostly yellowish-green in color. The arch of the easily torn ligule attachment is significantly higher than it is wide.

Generative characteristics

The flowering time is mainly in May and June. The prickly sedge is monoecious ( monoecious ). The three to ten spikelets are more or less close together in a 2 to 3 centimeter long inflorescence of the same age . The spikelets are oval and spread strongly at the fruiting time due to the protruding fruit sacs. The lowest spikelet may be slightly separated from the others. The husks are oval to lanceolate in shape and pale to brown-green in color. They are keeled greenish. The two-colored fruit sacs are about 4.5 to 5.5 mm long and about 2.5 mm wide. They are initially green, later yellow-brown in color and are gradually narrowed into the rather long beak. In the lower third, the tube is filled with a spongy, cork-like fabric. In the case of ripe fruit, this area is separated from the rest of the tube by a transverse groove.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 58, less often 52 or 56.

  • Prickly sedge

  • Fruit cluster

  • Inflorescence stem and inflorescence

  • Stem base

  • Ligule

  • Ear of wheat and single fruit tube (immature)

Similar species

The spiny sedge differs from the very similar species of sparse sedge ( Carex muricata ) and Pairas sedge ( Carex pairae ) in that it has a significantly higher ligamentous arch and the spongy, corky fruit sacs.

Occurrence

Carex spicata is distributed from Europe to West Asia and North Africa. Carex spicata occurs all over Europe. To the east it penetrates to the front. She is a neophyte in North America . It is rare in the Central European lowlands; overall it occurs scattered in Central Europe . In Germany, Austria and Switzerland the prickly sedge occurs scattered to fairly widespread.

The sting sedge inhabits roadsides, deciduous forests and bushes in Central Europe. It rises in Central Europe to altitudes of around 1500 meters. She can tolerate moderately high concentrations of nitrogen . It thrives best in nutrient-rich, fresh, loamy soils .

literature

  • Konrad von Weihe (ed.): Illustrated flora. Germany and neighboring areas. Vascular cryptogams and flowering plants . Founded by August Garcke. 23rd edition. Paul Parey, Berlin / Hamburg 1972, ISBN 3-489-68034-0 .
  • Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora . With the collaboration of Theo Müller. 6th, revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1990, ISBN 3-8001-3454-3 .
  • Henning Haeupler, Thomas Muer: picture atlas of the fern and flowering plants of Germany . Ed .: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (=  The fern and flowering plants of Germany . Volume 2 ). Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4 .
  • Dietmar Aichele, Heinz-Werner Schwegler: Our grasses. 8th edition. Franckh, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-440-05284-2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 172 .
  2. ↑ a b Dietmar Aichele, Heinz-Werner Schwegler: The flowering plants of Central Europe . 2nd Edition. tape 5 : Swan flowers to duckweed plants . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08048-X .

Web links

Commons : prickly sedge ( Carex spicata )  - album containing pictures, videos and audio files