adjacent to a road; moderate livestock 

 grazing. 



3. REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY 



a. Type of reproduction: Carex parryana is 

 described as having short, creeping rhizomes 

 (Hitchcock et al 1969) , and C. parryana ssp. 

 idahoa is described as having "prolonged, 

 scaly rootstocks" (Hermann 1970) . These 

 rootstocks or rhizomes are a means of 

 vegetative reproduction. The rhizomatous 

 growth form make recognition of genetic 

 individuals in the field difficult or 

 impossible. 



Carex parryana ssp. idahoa also produces 

 seed, as a means of sexual reproduction. 

 Murray (1969) states that the plant is 

 dioecious (male and female flowers on 

 separate plants); however, Hermann (1970) 

 states that spikes are "often all 

 pistillate," suggesting that spikes may 

 sometimes have both male and female flowers. 

 Murray (1969) comments that he has not seen 

 any staminate plants although Bailey (1896) 

 describes them. Taken together, these 

 observations indicate that plants with male 

 flowers are rare in Carex parryana ssp. 

 idahoa, thus most seed is probably produced 

 by asexual (agamospermous) means, although 

 sexual reproduction is also possible. 



b. Pollination biology: Pollination, when it 

 occurs, is presumably by wind (Faegri and van 

 der Pijl 1971, Hickey and King 1988). 



c. Seed dispersal and biology: Carex plants 

 lack any special adaptations for dispersal. 

 Nonetheless, there is evidence that dispersal 

 may occur by birds, either externally in mud 

 on feathers and feet or in the gut following 

 ingestion. Dispersal may also occur by water 

 in the case where perigynia float (van der 

 Pijl 1982) . Otherwise, short-distance 

 dispersal by gravity and wind may also occur. 



d. Seedling biology: Nothing is known. 



4. DEMOGRAPHY: Most rhizomatous graminoids follow a 

 similar demographic pattern. Genets (genetically 

 unique individuals) are composed of rhizomes 



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