''Carex archeri'', known as Archer's sedge, is a species of

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

in the genus '' Carex'', endemic to south-eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Description

''Carex archeri'' grows up to high, with leaves less than wide. Its

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

comprises a single spike subtended by a

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

that is longer than the inflorescence. The spike contains few flowers, with the female flowers towards the base of the spike, and a very short portion towards the tip containing male flowers. The glumes of the female flowers are long, and the utricles that form in the female flowers are long, with a notched beak. Specimens of ''C. archeri'' may be mistaken for stunted examples of either of two species classified in the same section, '' C. raleighii'' and '' C. hebes''.

Distribution and ecology

''Carex archeri'' grows in

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

s, alpine heath and

tussock grassland Tussock grassland is a form of open grassland that is dominated by tussock grasses (also called bunchgrasses). It is common in some temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregions of the Southern Hemisphere. Tussock grasslands are usually ...

in upland areas of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and the Australian Alps of Victoria and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Within New South Wales, it is limited to parts of

Kosciuszko National Park The Kosciuszko National Park () is a national park and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, for which it is named, and Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix of rugged mountains and wildern ...

around

Club Lake Club Lake is a glacial saltwater lake in the central part of Breidnes Peninsula in the Vestfold Hills of Princess Elizabeth Land in Antarctica. The lake is long and its irregular shape resembles a club which is elongated northeast–southwest. ...

and the upper reaches of the

Thredbo River The Thredbo River, a perennial river of the Snowy River catchment, is located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Thredbo River rises below South Rams Head, near Mount Leo within the Kosciuszko ...

Conservation

''Carex archeri'' is not listed on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, but it is subject to protection by the state of New South Wales as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

, and as a

vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened species, threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatened species, ...

in Victoria.

Taxonomy

''Carex archeri'' was first described by

Francis Boott Francis Boott (26 September 1792 – 25 December 1863) was an American physician and botanist who was resident in Great Britain from 1820. Biography Boott was born in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, the brother of Kirk Boott, o ...

in 1858, and named in honour of

William Archer William or Bill Archer may refer to: * William Archer (British politician) (1677–1739), British politician * William S. Archer (1789–1855), U.S. Senator and Representative from Virginia * William Beatty Archer (1793–1870), Illinois politician ...

. Archer had collected the

type material In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

in the western mountains of Tasmania.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2938250 archeri Poales of Australia Plants described in 1858 Flora of Tasmania Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Taxa named by Francis Boott