Carex laevigata
Encyclopedia
Carex laevigata is a species of sedge
. It lives in moist, shady environment in the lowland
s of Western
and Central Europe
, particularly in alder–ash woodland
. It is distinguished from similar species, such as C. binervis
and C. distans by the presence of tiny red dots on the utricles. Carex laevigata was first described
by James Edward Smith
in 1800, in a paper in the journal Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.
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...
. It lives in moist, shady environment in the lowland
Lowland
In physical geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level. The term is thus applied to the landward portion of the upward slope from oceanic depths to continental highlands, to a region of depression in the interior of a mountainous region, to a plain of denudation, or...
s of Western
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, particularly in alder–ash woodland
British NVC community W7
NVC community W7 is one of the woodland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system; it is one of seven woodland communities in the NVC classed as "wet woodlands".-Community composition:...
. It is distinguished from similar species, such as C. binervis
Carex binervis
Carex binervis, the green-ribbed sedge, is a European species of sedge with an Atlantic distribution. It is found from Fennoscandia to the Iberian Peninsula, and occurs in heaths, moorland and other damp, acidic environments. It typically grows to a height of , and has inflorescences comprising one...
and C. distans by the presence of tiny red dots on the utricles. Carex laevigata was first described
Alpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
by James Edward Smith
James Edward Smith
Sir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world...
in 1800, in a paper in the journal Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.