Carex pilulifera | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Cyperaceae |
Genus: | Carex |
Subgenus: | Carex subg. Carex |
Section: | Carex sect. Acrocystis |
Species: | C. pilulifera
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Binomial name | |
Carex pilulifera | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Carex oederi Retz. |
Carex pilulifera, the pill sedge, [2] is a European species of sedge found in acid heaths, woods and grassland from Macaronesia to Scandinavia. It grows up to 30 cm (12 in) tall, with 2–4 female spikes and 1 male spike in an inflorescence. These stalks bend as the seeds ripen, and the seeds are collected and dispersed by ants of the species Myrmica ruginodis.
Varieties:
The culms of Carex pilulifera grow to a length of 8–30 centimetres (3–12 in), and are often noticeably curved. [4] The leaves are 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long and 1.5–2.0 millimetres (0.06–0.08 in) wide, and are fairly flat. [4] The rhizomes of C. pilulifera are very short, giving the plant a caespitose (densely tufted) appearance. [4] The tussock grows outwards through the production of annual side-shoots. [5]
The inflorescence comprises a single, terminal, male (staminate) spike, and 2–4 lateral female (pistillate) spikes. [4] The spikes are clustered together, and the whole inflorescence is 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in) long. [4] The female spikes are 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long, ovoid or approaching spherical, [4] and contains 5–15 flowers. [5] The female spikes are attached directly to the stem, and each is subtended by a bract which does not form a sheath. [4] The male spike is 8–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long and much narrower. [4]
Carex pilulifera has a wide distribution in Europe, extending from Macaronesia and the Balkan Peninsula to Scandinavia. [1] It grows on acidic substrates including heathland, grassland and woodland. [5] It typically inhabits soils with a pH of 4.5–6.0. [4]
As the seeds of C. pilulifera ripen, the culms bend, and can eventually touch the ground. [5] The seeds are then dispersed by ants, particularly Myrmica ruginodis, [5] in a process known as myrmecochory, and are eaten by other insects, such as the ground beetle Harpalus fuliginosus. [5]
Carex pilulifera was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum, which marks the starting point of botanical nomenclature. [1] The specific epithet pilulifera means "bearing small globular structures", in reference to the female spikes. [6]