A new native plant for Massachusetts, Carex backii (Cyperaceae).

摘要

Carex backii Boott is one of two members of the section Phyllostachyae of the genus Carex found in New England. It is distinguished from the other species, C. willdenowii Schkuhr ex Willd., by having a lower pistillate scale that is wider than the perlgyma and concealing them (Carling et al. 1993). It occurs from the Gaspe Penninsula, Quebec south through New England, and west to British Columbia, Wyoming, and Colorado (Saarela and Ford 2001). It formerly occurred but has not been found recently in New Jersey and Pennsylvania (Kartesz and Meacham 1999), and appears to have a patchy distribution in its current range. It is uncommon in New England, previously having been reported from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut. It is most common in Vermont, with a ranking of S3, corresponding to 21-100 occurrences. Its rank is undetermined in New Hampshire (where it is being reviewed for state listing), and S1 and Endangered in both Connecticut and Maine, with one and several occurrences, respectively (Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection 1998; Maine Department of Conservation 1999; A. Haines, New England Wildflower Society, pers. comm.). The species is a new addition to the native flora of Massachusetts, where it is listed as Endangered. This note reports on the two known Massachusetts occurrences.