3309113 Carex brunnescens (Pers.) Poir.
- Poir. in Lam., Encycl. Suppl. 3: 286 (1813). - Carex curta var. brunnescens Pers., Syn. Pl. 2, 2: 539 (1807). Type: Switzerland: "ex monte Foyly", leg. Schleicher (Carex-exsiccat 13).
2n=
(1) 44. - Siberia (S). - Krogulevich (1971).
(2) 50-52. - Far East (N). - Kozhevnikov et al. (1986).
(3) 54-56. - Canada (British Columbia). - Taylor and Mulligan (1968).
In addition, Löve and Löve (1975a) referred numerous reports of 2n = 56.
Geography: Circumboreal-polar.
Notes: Carex brunnescens is polymorphic and there is no consensus treatment. For northern Europe, Kalela (1965) accepted two subspecies: subsp. brunnescens and subsp. vitilis. His treatment was been accepted by, e.g., Hylander (1966), Elven (1994), Hämet-Ahti et al. 1998, as varieties), and Elven et al. (2005). Egorova (1999, PAF proposal) rather preferred a collective treatment. For northwestern North America, Kalela (1965) accepted two subspecies: subsp. alaskana Kalela and subsp. pacifica Kalela. Also Toivonen (2002) recognized two subspecies in North America, an eastern to southeastern (non-arctic) subsp. sphaerostachya (Tuck.) Kalela and a widespread subsp. brunnescens, but he stated that Kalela's subsp. alaskana and subsp. pacifica "seem to grade into the typical subsp. brunnescens". Toivonen's treatment is problematic as he neither in the text nor in the maps recognized C. brunnescens from Alaska (Kalela reported the species as frequent there, an opinion we share). There may have been some editing error in Flora of North America as the maps of C. brunnescens coll. and of subsp. brunnescens are identical. We provisionally accept three subspecies from the arctic parts.
Higher Taxa
- Carex [3309,genus]