Carex albonigra
Encyclopedia
Carex albonigra is a species of sedge
known by the common name black and white sedge. It is native to western North America from Alaska
and most of western Canada to California
to New Mexico
, where it grows in mainly dry, rocky high mountain habitat such as talus
. This sedge forms a dense clump 10 to 30 centimeters in height with narrow gray-green leaves. The inflorescence
is a headlike cluster of overlapping spikes. The fruit is coated in a sac called a perigynium which is dark purple to chestnut brown and often tipped with white.
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
known by the common name black and white sedge. It is native to western North America from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and most of western Canada to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where it grows in mainly dry, rocky high mountain habitat such as talus
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
. This sedge forms a dense clump 10 to 30 centimeters in height with narrow gray-green leaves. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a headlike cluster of overlapping spikes. The fruit is coated in a sac called a perigynium which is dark purple to chestnut brown and often tipped with white.