THE BULGARIAN FLORA ONLINE
THE BULGARIAN FLORA ONLINE
(Click on the pictures to see them in larger size)
Bladder Sedge, Blister Sedge.
Carex vesicaria L.
NOT protected species in Bulgaria.
Plants cespitose; rhizomes short. Culms trigonous in cross section, 15–105 cm, scabrous-angled distally. Leaves: basal sheaths reddish brown to reddish purple, thickened, not spongy; ligules longer than wide; blades mid to dark green, V- to W-shaped, widest leaves 1.8–6.5 mm wide, smooth. Inflorescences 7.5–45 cm; proximal bract 10–50 cm, exceeding but not more than 2.5 times longer than inflorescence; proximal 1–3 spikes pistillate, erect or the proximal ascending, ca. 20–150-flowered, cylindric; terminal 1–3 spikes staminate, well elevated beyond summit of separate pistillate spikes. Pistillate scales lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 2.4–5.8 × 1.2–1.7 mm, shorter than perigynia, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, awnless. Perigynia ascending, often green or straw colored, 7–12-veined, veins running into beak, ovate, (3.6–) 4–7.5(–8.2) × 1.7–3.5(–4.5) mm, 2–3.5 times as long as wide, papery, apex contracted; beak distinct, 1.1–2.6 mm, bidentulate, smooth, teeth straight, 0.3–0.9 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes yellow to pale brown, symmetric, not indented, trigonous, smooth1.
In Bulgaria it grows in swamps and wetlands, along rivers and streams in the lowlands and foothills and mountain valleys up to 1400 m altitude.
Map of distribution in Bulgaria of Carex vesicaria by floristic regions3:
1 Carex vesicaria in Flora of North america @ efloras.org.
2 Вълев, Ст. 1964. Флора на Народна Република България, том II, издателство на БАН, София.
3 Assyov, B., A. Petrova, D. Dimitrov & R. Vassilev. 2012. Conspectus of the vascular flora of Bulgaria. Sofia, Bulgarian biodiversity foundation.
The theory of evolution is a lie!