Yellow sedges

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Yellow sedges
Yellow sedge (Carex flava s. Str. - possibly var. Alpina) in Upper Austria

Yellow sedge ( Carex flava s. Str. - possibly var. Alpina ) in Upper Austria

Systematics
Monocots
Commelinids
Order : Sweet grass (Poales)
Family : Sourgrass family (Cyperaceae)
Genre : Sedges ( Carex )
without rank: Yellow sedges
Scientific name
Carex flava agg.

The yellow sedges ( Carex flava agg. ), Also known as hedgehog grass , are a complex of species within the sour grass family (Cyperaceae). It summarizes several closely related, similar-looking and therefore critical sedge species and subspecies.

description

The perennial , herbaceous plants are hemicryptophytes that do not spur development, but loose to tight, small clumps form. Depending on the species, these are only summer or winter green and reach heights of between about 5 and 60 centimeters, whereby Carex viridula in particular is short and stocky, while Carex flava var. Flava is relatively the largest. Both the fruit sacs and the plants as a whole - the mostly 2 to 5 millimeter wide leaf blades and the stem - show a yellow-green to light yellow color, depending on the species and state of maturity, which is what gave the group of species its name. Only the basal leaf sheaths appear yellow-brown.

In these monoecious ( monoecious ), graceful plants, which belong to the multi-year sedges within the genus Carex , the inflorescences that appear in the summer months are gendered. At the upper end there is a single, narrow-cylindrical, brown spikelet with male flowers , under which there are one or more (two to a maximum of four) spherical-oval female spikelets. These consist of more or less "inflated", "beaked" (pointed) and all around "hedgehog" spreading fruit sacs, each with three scars . The exact shape of the tubes as well as the number and position of the spikelets to each other are some of the essential identifying features within the species group. The orientation of the bract , which is located at the base of the lowest female spikelet, also provides some information about the species belonging to it (details in the respective articles).

Systematics of the species complex Carex flava agg.

Location requirements

The common late yellow sedge ( Carex viridula var. Viridula ) forms low, firm clumps.

Common to all species is the preference open, sickernasser locations in nutrient-poor, but base-rich low and source bogs , wet fields, Rieselfluren or in similar places with weak to moderate acidic sump humus soils on clay, fen or sandy Anmoor . Carex demissa in particular is considered to be a moisture indicator (moisture index 9 according to Ellenberg's indicator values ; Carex viridula and Carex flava s. Str. Have a moisture index of 8). Carex flava s. st. clearly prefers calcareous locations (response number: 8), as does Carex lepidocarpa , while the other species are to be assessed as more indifferent. All have a high need for light (light number: 8) and a low nitrogen tolerance (N number: 2).

In terms of plant sociology , the yellow sedges are mainly associated with the class of Kleinseggenriede (Scheuchzerio-Caricetea nigrae); the calcareous species Carex flava s. st. and Carex lepidocarpa especially in the order Caricetalia davallianae ( Davallseggen -Kalkniedermoor). Carex demissa is also regarded as a character species of the association Parnassio-Caricetum nigrae (heart leaf-brown sedge swamp). In addition to Kleinseggenrieden, Carex viridula is also found in beach litter lawns (Littorelletea uniflorae), raised bogs (Sphagno-Utricularion) and wet pioneer and flood lawns (Lolio-Potentillion).

Spread, endangerment

(Floral areas according to Oberdorfer )

  • Carex flava var. Alpina : alpine (only in the Alps and in the Alpine foothills ). In the Allgäu Alps, near the Koblachhütte, north of Warth in Bavaria , it rises to an altitude of 1900 meters.
  • Carex flava var. Flava : Nordic-Eurassubocean within Europe and corresponding zones in North America; in the Alps up to an altitude of around 1860 meters. Quite rarely in Germany with large distribution gaps, especially in regions with little calcium in the north, west and east.
  • Carex viridula var. Viridula : Eurasian (subocean), in the Alps up to ~ 1880 m above sea level (?). Scattered in Germany with larger distribution gaps.
  • Carex viridula var. Pulchella : coastal areas (more precise plant-geographical delimitation apparently not known). In Germany only on the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas .
  • Carex demissa : Nordic-subatlantic within Europe and the Canadian coast. In Germany very scattered with large gaps in distribution; does not occur in the Alps.
  • Carex lepidocarpa : (Nordic) -subatlantic within Europe. In Germany very scattered with large distribution gaps, especially in the lime-poor North German lowlands ; There are somewhat more coherent occurrences in southern Bavaria , particularly in the limestone-rich Alpine foothills.
  • Carex derelicta : Of this endemic, which was only described in 2008, only the holotype collected in 1991 is known; It was found in the Krkonoše Mountains in the Czech Giant Mountains at around 1320 meters.

The scaly yellow sedge ( Carex lepidocarpa ) is listed nationwide on the Red List as “endangered” in Germany; the other taxa are in various regional Red Lists of the federal states. The main sources of risk for the populations of the individual yellow sedge species are nutrient inputs and drainage in their strongly threatened bog and other humid habitats.

literature

  • Heinz Ellenberg : Pointer values ​​of the vascular plants of Central Europe (=  Scripta Geobotanica . Volume IX ). 2nd, improved edition. Erich Goltze, Göttingen 1979.
  • 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 .
  • Henning Haeupler, Peter Schönfelder (Hrsg.): Atlas of the fern and flowering plants of the Federal Republic of Germany . Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1988, ISBN 3-8001-3434-9 .
  • 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 .
  • Richard Pott: The plant societies in Germany (=  UTB for science ). Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1992, ISBN 3-8252-8067-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 81 ( online ).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f 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.  190-192 .
  3. ↑ a b Jitka Štěpánková: Carex derelicta, a new species from the Krkonoše Mountains (Czech Republic). Carex derelicta, nový druh ostřice z Krkonoš. In: Preslia. Volume 80, No. 4, 2008, pp. 389-397 ( PDF file) .
  4. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 1, IHW-Verlag, Eching near Munich, 2001, ISBN 3-930167-50-6 , p. 279.

Web links

Commons : Yellow Sedge  - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Greenish Yellow Sedge  - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Late Yellow Sedge  - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files