categoryZGrasses Grasses List 

FALSE FOX-SEDGE

Carex otrubae

Sedge Club- & Spike-Rush Family [Cyperaceae]

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category
category8Grasses		 status
statusZnative

flower
flower8green
 		 inner
inner8brown
 		 petals
petalsZ0
 		 type
typeZspiked
 		 stem
stem8triangular
 		 stem
stem8hollow
round hole		 sex
sexZmonoecious
 

25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Growing in a wet place beside a pond.


25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone


2nd July 2009, Ainsdale marshland, Sefton Coast, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Flowerhead in interrupted star-shaped inflorescences near the top of a triangular stem up to a metre high. The stem is triangular in cross-section but not winged as is True Fox-sedge (Carex vulpina).


2nd July 2009, Ainsdale marshland, Sefton Coast, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The stacked nature of the interrupted inflorescences is more easily discerned on more mature specimens. Pointed ligules stick out further than the flowers.


2nd July 2009, Ainsdale marshland, Sefton Coast, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The large winged insect on the sedge is not a dragonfly (which have two pairs of wings); but rather a Cranefly (Tipula oleraceae) [commonly known as a 'Daddy Longlegs'].


2nd July 2009, Ainsdale marshland, Sefton Coast, Lancs. Photo: © RWD


2nd July 2009, Ainsdale marshland, Sefton Coast, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Flowers are green on the outer edges, merging from cream into brown in the centres.


2nd July 2009, Ainsdale marshland, Sefton Coast, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The sharp ends to two brown bits.


2nd July 2009, Ainsdale marshland, Sefton Coast, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
A sharp ligule sticks out further than the flowers.


2nd July 2009, Ainsdale marshland, Sefton Coast, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The stem is finely ridged, and triangular in csa. The utricles (isocelles-triangular to gourde-shaped bracts are only slightly larger than those of True Fox-sedge (Carex vulpina) at 4.5 to 6mm long with a beak 1 to 1.5mm long but occasionally up to 2mm (whereas those of True Fox-sedge are 4 to 5mm long with a beak which is 1 to 1.5mm long).

The utricles can be winged or not on False Fox-sedge, but if winged then that makes the utricals appear more gradually tapered.



8th July 2014, Ainsdale coast, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD


5th July 2014, Leeds & L/pool Canal, Rimrose, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
A specimen with spent anthers still hanging on (RH side).


11th June 2016, Cronton ex-Colliery reserve, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
There are short stiff hairs on some edges of the triangular stem all appressed one-way so as to create an edge which feels fairly smooth one way, but feels very rough the other way. For what purpose your Author knows not.


25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
A herbarium specimen, folded to fit on the paper. [Herbarium has no relation to Barium]


25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The base of the stem.


25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The leaf sheath.


25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The leaf sheath.


25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The hairy leaf and its tip.


25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Just beneath each floret is a very long narrow bract aka ligule.


25th May 2008, College Close, Sandown, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Just beneath each floret is a very long narrow bract aka ligule.

Easily confused with : True Fox Sedge [a plant of similar name], but that is stouter and has sharply angled concave stems, whereas the stems of False Fox Sedge have flat sides.

Hybridizes with :

  • Spiked Sedge (Carex spicata) to produce Carex × haussknechtii
  • Grey Sedge (Carex divulsa ssp. divulsa)
  • Remote Sedge (Carex remota) to produce Carex × pseudoaxillaris
[Your author thinks the above photographs from the Sefton Coast or Merseyside correspond with none of the above hybrids since they do not occur in the hectad that the photographs were taken, but the latter hybrid, Carex × pseudoaxillaris, grows closest: further to the North of Southport].

True Fox-sedge has a browner and shorter, more-compact flower head and stems which are concave-triangular which are with or without wings. It also has short and blunt ligules/bracts (rather than long narrow ones of False Fox-sedge). [True Fox-sedge itself is a very rare [RRR] found in only about 10 small (less than 10km) areas and not within 100 miles of your Authors' abode!]

Grows in wet or damp grassland, especially near the coast.

  Carex otrubae  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Cyperaceae  

Distribution
family8Sedge Club- & Spike-Rush family8Cyperaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Carex
Carex
(Sedges)

FALSE FOX-SEDGE

Carex otrubae

Sedge Club- & Spike-Rush Family [Cyperaceae]

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