Image of Carex aterrima Hoppe

Description:

Slo.: temni a - syn.: Carex aterrima Hoppe, Carex atrata L. var. aterrima (Hope) Boott, Carex atrata ssp. aterrima (Hope) Yun Liang (nom. illeg.) - Habitat: alpine grassland, calcareous, skeletal ground; open place, full sun, windy place, exposed to direct rain; altitude 2.087 m (6.800 feet), average precipitations about 3.000 mm/year, average temperature about 0 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region.Substratum: nutrients poor soil.Comment: Carex atrata s.lat. is a large, conspicuous and beautiful sedge known from all Alps and other European mountains, growing in subalpine and alpine elevations. It is easy to recognize it by its large black-brown spikes. Generally two subspecies are known, Carex atrata ssp. atrata and Carex atrata ssp. aterrima (some authors consider both on species level). It is not always easy to distinguish between them since many times plants with intermediated characteristics are found. The main and easy to recognize in field trait is roughness of their stems (particularly of their upper parts). Carex atrata ssp. aterrima, which is also supposed to be larger plant (up to 70 cm tall) of both, has rough stems when touched, while Carex atrata ssp. atrata is glabrous. Plants found 30-45 cm tall; stems distinctly rough; spikes 20 - 26 mm long, the lowest with a 15 mm long stalk (in average), the upper 3-4 spikes densely clustered and with 1-5 mm long stalks; leaves only slightly shorter than flowering stalks; leaves 5-9 mm wide. Ref.:(1) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 828.(2) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 1404.(3) J. Koopman, Carex Europaea, The Genus Carex L. (Cyperaceae) in Europe, 1., Margraf Publishers (2011), p 50.(4) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 818. (5) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 1097.