Carex gaudichaudiana

Primary tabs

Carex gaudichaudiana

Description

Leaves subbasal, often longer than the stem, somewhat rigid, flat or canaliculate, scabrid on the margins, 1.5-4 mm wide, with involute margins when dry, the lower reduced to reddish to blackish red sheaths.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Australasia: Queensland (Queensland present); Tasmania (Tasmania present), E. China present, Japan present, New Zealand present
Australia (Tasmania to Queensland) and New Zealand to E. China and Japan; in Malesia: throughout New Guinea.
Distr. maps: .

Notes

Very similar to C. nigra (L.) Reich., a common European and N. American species, and sharing with it an extreme polymorphism. Carex gaudichaudiana is characterized by the strongly nerved, more distinctly beaked utricles, and the lower bracts usually exceeding the terminal spikelet.
The type of C. gaudichaudiana is from Australia. The Asiatic plants have been distinguished as var. thunbergii (Steud.) Kuk.
The differences between the Australian plants and the Asiatic ones are but slight; see Koyama, l.c.
Carex appendiculata (Trautv.) Kuk., from E. Siberia, according to Koyama also only a variety of C. gaudichaudiana, is C. nigra (L.) Reich.

Citation

Nelmes 1949: Kew Bull.: 385, 392
Kunth 1938: p. 264. – In: Bot. Jahrb.: incl. var. humilior Kuk.
Kuk. 1909 – In: Pfl. R. Heft: 312
S. T. Blake 1947 – In: J. Arn. Arb.: 107
Benth. 1878 – In: Fl. Austr.: 442
Clarke 1904 – In: J. Linn. Soc.: 6
Koyama 1959: p. 22. – In: Act. Phytotax. Geobot.: f. 28
Ohwi 1942 – In: Bot. Mag. Tokyo: 215
Kuk. 1951 – In: Reinwardtia: 430