Carex muricata subsp. ashokae Molina Gonz., Acedo & Llamas;
Iran; Krym; Pakistan; Tadzhikistan; Transcaucasus; Turkey; West Himalaya as per Catalogue of Life;

Carex species Photographed from Srinagar, Kashmir on grassy slopes. Looks like C. echinata, but not reported from the area. Kindly help in ID


Carex is a large and difficult genus.  I photographed 3 Carex in my own village in the UK this year and have only, so far, been able to name one of them.  There is a guide to Carex published by the BSBI which I had a copy of at one time but was damaged and discarded; I do not currently have the budget to by an up-dated version.  Without it I will struggle (with help) to name the other two.
In the UK we are blessed with The Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) which has a Panel of Referees and Specialists available to have material sent to them to identify.  There are a number of specialists available to accept specimens (either pressed and dried or in some cases fresh) with certain ones with particular expertise in particular groups or aggregates. In all cases mature fruits and underground parts should be sent.  I doubt if many of them would be able or willing to attempt to name specimens on the basis of photos alone particular those not of greater close-ups or mature fruits than shown in these images.
As to the suggestion of Carex echinata is the sedge photographed; this is known as the ‘Star Sedge’ in the UK where it is common. … is correct that this species has not been recorded from Pakistan or Kashmir. However, there is Carex polyphylla which has C.echinata var. leersii as a synonym. Stewart recorded that at Gulmarg & Pahlgam from 2100-2700m but not Srinagar – though as I say, this is a difficult and poorly known genus.
Just quickly looked at ‘The Plant List’.  Unfortunately, Carex polyphylla is not an accepted name but Carex leersi, a synonym is. To be fair to… the sedge he photographed has similarities to both species. But I will need to inspect further – somewhen….. SO many genera needing attention!


Thanks, … It appears close to Carex leersii F.W.Schultz as per the following:
http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/basin/sedge/carex/echinata/echinata.htm


I am in agreement that the sedge photographed which was initially thought to be C.echinata is close to Carex leersii.  But as the images are not of mature fruits (and may not be sufficiently close-up to show the necessary detail) we may not be able to be certain certain of an identification. 
Unless we have a specialist, familiar with the genus in Kashmir, then it may be impossible for us to proceed further.  Perhaps a member in Kashmir or visiting Kashmir can take better close-ups of the mature fruits of this plant and send us?  A specialist might be able to identify the photos.
I remember (when working in Wales, which is a part of the UK) undertaking survey work, I took a specimen of a sedge (albeit foliage only) to show one of our country’s Carex specialist (and one of the best field botanists overall).  He could only be 90% sure what it was.
It may be that a Carex specialist would require a quality pressed specimen to be certain.
I note the following publication but do not have a copy: 
Haq, E. U., G. H. Dar, B. A. Wafai and Jacob Koopman.
The Genus Carex L. (Cyperaceae) in the Kashmir Himalaya, India: A Taxonomic Appraisal. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun. (In press).
Perhaps someone who has a copy can consult this and see if it helps us?
Is Jacob Koopman a member of this group, as he is a Carex specialist when I am a beginner and this is not an easy genus?  Or could forward the images to request his input with this and indeed other Carex (and Cyperaceae) from Kashmir?
Makes sense if I concentrate my strictly limited time, energy & powers of concentration on genera and families where no specialists exist especially if they are not familiar with Himalayan species.  In some cases such specialists are not available.
With attempting to identify plants, one can easily spend hours (or even days or weeks) trying and then not being any the wiser afterwards.  There is a “law of diminishing returns” i.e. in some cases the only sensible course of action is to put to a side the specimens/photos and return to them at a later date.   Sometimes, just a ‘fresh’ look, days, weeks or months later is sufficient.
I e.g. identified sets of photos taken in Ladakh last year.  For some images I was uncertain with species the belonged to (but knew the genus) and for a few which family but not the genus, as a result of checking out images posted on eFI which I have checked in recent months, I can now name the ‘outstanding’ images from 2015.
And the more difficult example require a lot of concentration which one cannot always provide if tired or busy concentrating on other matters.  If one tries to name a plant in such circumstances, rushes this and does not check properly, mistakes are made and misidentifications are made.
Attempting to RELIABLY identify plants can be very demanding intellectually and mentally exhausting.  I am usually very tried, indeed exhausted after spending a day in a herbarium.  I do not think this is appreciated, especially in these days of “high-tech” science – just as “field skills” are often not valued in botany.  

A reply in another thread:
Hello, I saw my name coming by, in a former discussion about a Carex in India, which was supposed to be C. leersii; previously it had been called C. echinata in that post. To my opinion it is not either one of these two species. I think, based on what I can see in the photos, it is C. muricata subsp. ashokae. This subspecies has recently been described by the Spanish botanist Ana Molina Gonzalez (2008). This subspecies has the typical short and dark brown female glumes of C. muricata, but the utricles are more tapering, like in C. spicata and in C. leersii. So, with a rounded ligule it holds the middle of C. muricata and C. leersii. It is known from Kashmir.
Thanks a lot, … 

Carex leersii : 3 posts by 3 authors.  
I saw my name coming by, in a former discussion about a Carex in India, which was supposed to be C. leersii; previously it had been called C. echinata in that post. To my opinion it is not either one of these two species. I think, based on what I can see in the photos, it is C. muricata subsp. ashokae. This subspecies has recently been described by the Spanish botanist Ana Molina Gonzalez (2008). This subspecies has the typical short and dark brown female glumes of C. muricata, but the utricles are more tapering, like in C. spicata and in C. leersii. So, with a rounded ligule it holds the middle of C. muricata and C. leersii. It is known from Kashmir.


References:

Catalogue of Life 

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