Carex archeri | |
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1859 illustration of C. archeri by Walter Hood Fitch | |
Scientific 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
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Binomial name | |
Carex archeri | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Carex archeri, known as Archer's sedge, [3] is a species of sedge in the genus Carex, endemic to south-eastern Australia.
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]
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]
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]
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]