Carex archeri
1859 illustration of C. archeri by Walter Hood Fitch
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Carex
Subgenus: Carex subg. Vignea
Section: Carex sect. Inversae
Species:
C. archeri
Binomial name
Carex archeri
Synonyms [2]
  • Carex acicularis Boott
  • Carex pyrenaica F.Muell. non Wahlenb.

Carex archeri, known as Archer's sedge,[3] is a species of sedge in the genus Carex, endemic to south-eastern Australia.

Description

Carex archeri grows up to 25 centimetres (10 in) high, with leaves less than 0.5 millimetres (0.02 in) wide.[4] Its inflorescence comprises a single spike subtended by a bract that is longer than the inflorescence. The spike contains few flowers, with the female flowers towards the base of the spike, and a very short portion towards the tip containing male flowers.[4] The glumes of the female flowers are 2.5–4.0 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long, and the utricles that form in the female flowers are 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long, with a 1.3–2.5-millimetre (0.05–0.10 in) notched beak.[4]

Specimens of C. archeri may be mistaken for stunted examples of either of two species classified in the same section, C. raleighii and C. hebes.[4]

Distribution and ecology

Carex archeri grows in bogs, alpine heath and tussock grassland in upland areas of Tasmania and the Australian Alps of Victoria and New South Wales.[4][5] Within New South Wales, it is limited to parts of Kosciuszko National Park around Club Lake and the upper reaches of the Thredbo River.[5]

Conservation

Carex archeri is not listed on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999,[6] but it is subject to protection by the state of New South Wales as an endangered species,[5] and as a vulnerable species in Victoria.[3]

Taxonomy

Carex archeri was first described by Francis Boott in 1858,[3] and named in honour of William Archer.[7] Archer had collected the type material in the western mountains of Tasmania.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 F. Boott. "Gen. XV. Carex, L.". In J. D. Hooker (ed.). Flora Tasmaniæ, Botany of Tasmania. Volume II. Monocotyledones and Acotyledones. pp. 98–102.
  2. ↑ "Cyperaceae" (PDF). Australian Plant Census. Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Carex archeri Boott: Archer's Sedge". Atlas of Living Australia. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Carex archeri Boott". eMonocot. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Archer's Carex - profile". Threatened species. New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Keith L. McDougall & Neville G. Walsh. "Treeless vegetation of the Australian Alps" (PDF). Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  7. ↑ J. H. Maiden (1909). "Records of Tasmanian botanists" (PDF). Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania: 9–29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
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