Carex atrata
Carex atrata
Ssp aterrima: Gece saparnası; Ssp atrata: Karasaparna
Caespitose with short, rather coarse rhizomes. Stems 15-60 cm, rigid, erect, trigonous; basal sheaths aphyllous, entire or becoming fibrous. Leaves 3-5 mm broad, shorter than stems, mainly basal, flat, rather stiff, smooth or scabrid at margins in apical part. Spikes 2-5, ± aggregated or lowest somewhat distant, terminal male at base, lateral usually entirely female, obovoid, ovoid or clavate-oblong, obtuse to acute, 1-2.5 mm, dense, subsessile or lowest with peduncle to 1 cm. Female glumes ovate to broadly lanceolate, obtuse to acute, equalling or slightly shorter than utricles, purplish-black, concolorous or sometimes with paler mid-vein, papillose- or scabrid-carinate above, dull. Utricles pale yellowish-green when young, yellowish-brown or reddish-black but usually paler yellowish-green at base and on margins when mature, obovate to broadly ellipsoid, 3.1-5 mm, somewhat compressed-inflated, minutely papillose or sometimes scabrid above at least on margins, dull, veinless, abruptly contracted into short, emarginate or shallowly bifid, black beak. Nut very shortly stipitate.
1. Stems 15-40 cm, usually smooth; basal sheaths pale to dark brown; leaves rather abruptly narrowed into ± setaceous point 1-3 cm , ±glaucous green; lowest bract usually setaceous and shorter than inflorescence; utricles 3-4 mm; nut pale brown subsp. atrata element.)
1. Stems 35-80 cm, stout, scabrid at top; basal sheaths often purplish-brown; leaves broader, gradually narrowing above, mid-green; lowest bract usually leaf-like, c. as long as inflorescence or slightly longer; utricles 4-5 mm; nut dark brown subsp. aterrima
