''Carex firma'' 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 ...

that grows in the mountains of southern and central Europe.

Description

''Carex firma'' forms thick

cushions A cushion is a soft bag of some ornamental material, usually stuffed with wool, hair, feathers, polyester staple fiber, non-woven material, cotton, or even paper torn into fragments. It may be used for sitting or kneeling upon, or to soften th ...

. Its leaves are up to long in normal conditions (up to in moist, sheltered localities), dark green and stiff. The stems are up to tall (exceptionally ), but always at least twice as long as the leaves.

Ecology

synecology In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community, ...

, ''Carex firma'' is a characteristic part of the "" (also called ""), which is an important

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

in the

alpine zone Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...

over calcareous rock. ''Carex firma'' can survive

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...

s as low as .

Taxonomy

''Carex firma'' was first described by

Nicolaus Thomas Host Nicolaus Thomas Host (December 6, 1761 in Fiume, now Rijeka – January 13, 1834 in Schönbrunn) was a Croatian botanist and the personal physician of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. His botanical works include ''Synopsis plantarum in Austria'' ...

in 1797, in his work ''Synopsis Plantarum in Austria provinciisque adjacentibus sponte crescentium''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1443970

firma Firma may refer to: *Firma, Missouri, a ghost town in the United States *Firma (supporter group), a Serbian football fan club *''Firma'', a monthly magazine supplement to the ''Globes (newspaper)'' newspaper * ''Firma'' (TV series), a 2005 Finnish ...

Alpine flora Flora of the Alps Plants described in 1797