IS DOTTED SEDGE, CAREXPUNCTATA A SUFFOLK SPECIES?
CAROL A .
GAUD.,
GREEN
Carex punctata is d i s t i n g u i s h e d f r o m its close ally C. distans by t h e p r e s e n c e of shiny utricles, a t u b u l ä r ligule, at least o n e bract e x c e e d i n g t h e infloresc e n c e a n d o r a n g e b r o w n m a l e g l u m e s instead of p u r p l e b r o w n as in C. distans. In t h e British Isles it is primarily an o c e a n i c species. It is most a b u n d a n t in S. W . I r e l a n d , but is also f o u n d along t h e west coast f r o m K i r k c u d b r i g h t s h i r e t o S. H a m p s h i r e . T h e r e is a single c o n f i r m e d east coast r e c o r d , a h e r b a r i u m s p e c i m e n collected in B e r w i c k s h i r e in 1882. This d i s t r i b u t i o n t o g e t h e r with t h e fact that it is f r e q u e n t l y a n d easily c o n f u s e d with C. distans t h r o w s into d o u b t r e c o r d s of the species f r o m S u f f o l k . H i n d (1889) gives t w o sites at D u n w i c h , E . S u f f o l k for this species, ' O n e a little N o r t h of t h e village; t h e o t h e r two miles South of it. A sea-wall recently built has d e s t r o y e d t h e s e c o n d locality, which was at Scot's H a l l ' . H i n d ' s ' H e r b a r i u m of S u f f o l k P l a n t s ' at the M u s e u m . Ipswich contains a v o u c h e r s p e c i m e n f o r this r e c o r d , ' S e a s h o r e D u n w i c h J u n e 30 1881'. T h e r e is also a s e c o n d s p e c i m e n , ' S c o t ' s Hall Suffolk 30 J u n e 1881', in H i n d ' s collection of British Plants. S a l m o n (1907) r e d e t e r m i n e d the first s p e c i m e n as C. distans. In N o v e m b e r 1982 R . W . D a v i d , as p a r t of a study of the distribution of C. punctata in t h e British Isles ( D a v i d , 1981), visited Ipswich a n d e x a m i n e d t h e s e t w o s p e c i m e n s . H e c o n f i r m e d S a l m o n ' s identification of t h e first and also r e d e t e r m i n e d t h e s e c o n d as C. distans. T h e r e a r e t w o a d d i t i o n a l r e f e r e n c e s t o C. punctata occurring in S u f f o l k , at B l y t h b u r g h ( B u r n , 1933) a n d A l d e b u r g h (Little, 1930), b u t so f a r n o v o u c h e r s p e c i m e n s h a v e b e e n f o u n d t o s u p p o r t t h e s e r e p o r t s . In t h e light of t h e a b o v e they m u s t b e r e g a r d e d as d o u b t f u l a n d C. punctata should not b e a c c o r d e d m o r e t h a n p r o v i s i o n a s t a t u s on the S u f f o l k list.
References B u r n , R . (1933). P r o c e e d i n g s in Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 2, xciv. D a v i d , R . W . (1981). T h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of Carex punctata G a u d . I r e l a n d a n d t h e Isle of M a n . Watsonia 13, 318. H i n d , W . M . (1889). The Flora of Suffolk. G u r n e y & J a c k s o n . J e r m y , A . C . , C h a t e r , A . O . & D a v i d , R . W . (1982). Sedges of Isles. B . S . B . I . Little, K . D . (1930). Plant r e c o r d in Rep. botl. Soc. Exch. Club Br. S a l m o n , C . E . (1907). N o t e s u p o n H i n d ' s F l o r a of S u f f o l k . J. Bot.
in B r i t a i n .
the
British
Isl. 9 , 1 4 2 . 45,388.
Carol A. G r e e n , The Museum, High Street, Ipswich.
Trans. Suffolk
Nat. Soc. 19