Carex pilulifera, the pill sedge,[2] is a European species of sedge found in acid heaths, woods and grassland from Macaronesia to Scandinavia. It grows up to 30 cm (12 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 ants of the species Myrmica ruginodis.
Varieties:
Carex oederi var. oederi (synonym: Carex scandinavica E.W.Davies)[3]
The culms of Carex pilulifera grow to a length of 8–30 centimetres (3–12 in), and are often noticeably curved.[4] The leaves are 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long and 1.5–2.0 millimetres (0.06–0.08 in) wide, and are fairly flat.[4] The rhizomes of C. pilulifera are very short, giving the plant a caespitose (densely tufted) appearance.[4] The tussock grows outwards through the production of annual side-shoots.[5]
The inflorescence comprises a single, terminal, male (staminate) spike, and 2–4 lateral female (pistillate) spikes.[4] The spikes are clustered together, and the whole inflorescence is 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in) long.[4] The female spikes are 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long, ovoid or approaching spherical,[4] and contains 5–15 flowers.[5] The female spikes are attached directly to the stem, and each is subtended by a bract which does not form a sheath.[4] The male spike is 8–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long and much narrower.[4]
^ abcA. O. Chater (2010). "Carex". In T. G. Tutin; V. H. Heywood; N. A. Burges; D. A. Webb; I. B. K. Richardson (eds.). Alismataceae to Orchidaceae. Flora Europaea. Vol. 5. Cambridge University Press. pp. 290–323. ISBN978-0-521-15370-6.
