| Carex rufina | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Carex |
| Species: | C. rufina |
| Binomial name | |
| Carex rufina | |
Carex rufina is a species of sedge known by the common name snowbed sedge. It is native to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, and northeastern Canada.[1]
This species is a perennial herb growing up to 15 centimetres (6 in) tall. It has sheathed, grasslike leaves no more than 2 millimetres (0.08 in) wide. The lower spikes are female, while the terminal spike is gynecandrous. This inflorescence is often hidden in the leaves, which form a dense tussock.[1][2] The species often reproduces clonally.[3]
This sedge grows in alpine snowbed habitat. This ecosystem is sensitive to climate change, which causes a rise in the local temperatures and a loss of moisture in the normally wet substrates. Elimination of patches of snowbed causes habitat fragmentation. Drying and changes in the floral composition of the habitat make it less hospitable to the sedge. It has declined, leading to its listing as a near-threatened species in Norway.[3]
References
- 1 2 Peter W. Ball; A. A. Reznicek (2002). "Carex rufina Drejer, Naturhist. Tidsskr. 3: 446. 1841". Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Vol. 23. Oxford University Press. p. 299. ISBN 978-0-19-515207-4.
- ↑ S. G. Aiken; M. J. Dallwitz; L. L. Consaul; C. L. McJannet; R. L. Boles; G. W. Argus; J. M. Gillett; P. J. Scott; R. Elven; M. C. LeBlanc; L. J. Gillespie; A. K. Brysting; H. Solstad; J. G. Harris (2007). "Carex rufina Drejer". Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Ottawa: NRC Research Press, National Research Council of Canada. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- 1 2 Kristine Bakke Westergaard; Inger Greve Alsos; Torstein Engelskjøn; Kjell Ivar Flatberg; Christian Brochmann (2011). "Trans-Atlantic genetic uniformity in the rare snowbed sedge Carex rufina" (PDF). Conservation Genetics. 12 (5): 1367–1371. doi:10.1007/s10592-011-0215-z. S2CID 1194348.