Carex pilulifera
Encyclopedia
Carex pilulifera is a European species of sedge
found in acid heaths, woods
and grassland
from Macaronesia
to Scandinavia
. It grows up to 30 cm (11.8 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 ant
s of the species Myrmica ruginodis
.
are 5–20 cm (2–7.9 ) long and 1.5–2 mm (0.0590551181102362–0.078740157480315 ) wide, and are fairly flat. The rhizome
s of C. pilulifera are very short, giving the plant a caespitose (densely tufted) appearance. The tussock grows outwards through the production of annual side-shoots.
The inflorescence
comprises a single, terminal, male (staminate) spike, and 2–4 lateral female (pistillate) spikes. The spikes are clustered together, and the whole inflorescence is 1–4 cm (0.393700787401575–1.6 ) long. The female spikes are 4 millimetre long, ovoid or approaching spherical, and contains 5–15 flowers. The female spikes are attached directly to the stem, and each is subtended by a bract
which does not form a sheath. The male spike is 8–15 mm (0.31496062992126–0.590551181102362 ) long and much narrower.
, extending from Macaronesia
and the Balkan Peninsula to Scandinavia
. It grows on acidic substrates including heathland, grassland
and woodland
. It typically inhabits soils with a pH
of 4.5–6.0.
As the seed
s of C. pilulifera ripen, the culms bend, and can eventually touch the ground. The seeds are then dispersed
by ant
s, particularly Myrmica ruginodis
, in a process known as myrmecochory
, and are eaten by other insects, such as the ground beetle
Harpalus fuliginosus.
by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum
, which marks the starting point of botanical nomenclature
. The specific epithet means "bearing small globular structures", in reference to the female spikes.
Sedge
- Plants :* Acorus calamus, sweet flag, a plant in the Acoraceae family* Any of the plants in the family Cyperaceae- Animals :* A collective noun for several species of birds, including bitterns, cranes and herons* Sedge-fly, caddisfly- Other uses :...
found in acid heaths, woods
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
and grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
from Macaronesia
Macaronesia
Macaronesia is a modern collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa belonging to three countries: Portugal, Spain, and Cape Verde...
to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. It grows up to 30 cm (11.8 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
Seed dispersal
Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant...
by ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s of the species Myrmica ruginodis
Myrmica ruginodis
Myrmica ruginodis is a species of ant that lives in northern parts of Europe and Asia. It is very similar to M. rubra, but has a more northerly and higher-altitude distribution. Overwintering larvae may become either workers or queen ants, with up to 20 queens living in a colony of up to 2,500...
.
Description
The culms of Carex pilulifera grow to a length of 8–30 cm (3.1–11.8 ), and are often noticeably curved. The leavesLeaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are 5–20 cm (2–7.9 ) long and 1.5–2 mm (0.0590551181102362–0.078740157480315 ) wide, and are fairly flat. The rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s of C. pilulifera are very short, giving the plant a caespitose (densely tufted) appearance. The tussock grows outwards through the production of annual side-shoots.
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...
comprises a single, terminal, male (staminate) spike, and 2–4 lateral female (pistillate) spikes. The spikes are clustered together, and the whole inflorescence is 1–4 cm (0.393700787401575–1.6 ) long. The female spikes are 4 millimetre long, ovoid or approaching spherical, and contains 5–15 flowers. The female spikes are attached directly to the stem, and each is subtended by a bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
which does not form a sheath. The male spike is 8–15 mm (0.31496062992126–0.590551181102362 ) long and much narrower.
Distribution and ecology
Carex pilulifera has a wide distribution in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, extending from Macaronesia
Macaronesia
Macaronesia is a modern collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa belonging to three countries: Portugal, Spain, and Cape Verde...
and the Balkan Peninsula to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. It grows on acidic substrates including heathland, grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
. It typically inhabits soils with a pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
of 4.5–6.0.
As the seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s of C. pilulifera ripen, the culms bend, and can eventually touch the ground. The seeds are then dispersed
Seed dispersal
Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant...
by ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s, particularly Myrmica ruginodis
Myrmica ruginodis
Myrmica ruginodis is a species of ant that lives in northern parts of Europe and Asia. It is very similar to M. rubra, but has a more northerly and higher-altitude distribution. Overwintering larvae may become either workers or queen ants, with up to 20 queens living in a colony of up to 2,500...
, in a process known as myrmecochory
Myrmecochory
Myrmecochory is seed dispersal by ants, an ecologically significant ant-plant interaction with worldwide distribution. Myrmecochorous plants produce seeds with elaiosomes, a term encompassing various external appendages or "food bodies" rich in lipids, amino acid, or other nutrients that are...
, and are eaten by other insects, such as the ground beetle
Ground beetle
Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, approximately 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe.-Description and ecology:...
Harpalus fuliginosus.
Taxonomic history
Carex pilulifera was describedAlpha 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 Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum
Species Plantarum
Species Plantarum was first published in 1753, as a two-volume work by Carl Linnaeus. Its prime importance is perhaps that it is the primary starting point of plant nomenclature as it exists today. This means that the first names to be considered validly published in botany are those that appear...
, which marks the starting point of botanical nomenclature
Botanical nomenclature
Botanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; botanical nomenclature then provides names for the results of this process. The starting point for modern botanical...
. The specific epithet means "bearing small globular structures", in reference to the female spikes.