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• Sedges
• Carex albursina

Carex albursina — white bear sedge

Facts

White bear sedge is one of the easier sedges to identify, due to its pale green vegetative blades up to 52 mm wide. It can also be distinguished by its large leafy bracts exceeding the spikelets in length, and the curved beaks of the perigynia. The color at the basal portion of the plant is mostly pale brown to brown. It is found in rocky rich-mesic forests.

Habitat

Forests, ridges or ledges

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Anther length

  2–2.2 mm

  Bumps on fruit

  there are no papillae on the perigynium surface

  Length of scale

  the scale is shorter than the perigynium

  Lowest spike length

  6–36 mm

  Lowest spike stalk length

  Up to 58 mm

  Lowest spike width

  3–4.2 mm

  Perigynium beak

  the perigynium has a beak

  Perigynium beak length

  0.3–0.6 mm

  Perigynium beak orientation

  the beak of the perigynium is curved, or angled out from the perigynium

  Perigynium beak serrations

  the perigynium beak has no serrations

  Perigynium beak teeth

  the perigynium beak is not divided at the tip into two teeth, or the teeth are very tiny

  Perigynium beak teeth length

  0 mm

  Perigynium color

  • brown
  • yellow

  Perigynium cross-section

  the perigynium is trigonous (triangular) in cross-section

  Perigynium hairs

  the perigynium has no hairs

  Perigynium length

  3–4.2 mm

  Perigynium nerve number

  At least 16

  Perigynium nerve texture

  the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium

  Perigynium nerves lower side

  At least 8

  Perigynium nerves upper side

  At least 8

  Perigynium orientation

  the perigynia are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis or adjacent perigynia

  Perigynium puffy

  the perigynium is inflated (there is space between the perigynium and the achene)

  Perigynium shape

  the perigynium body is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)

  Perigynium width

  1.8–2.1 mm

  Perigynium winged

  the perigynium has no wings

  Pollen- and seed-producing spikes

  some of the spikes produce perigynia

  Pollen-producing spike length

  4–18 mm

  Pollen-producing spike number

  1

  Pollen-producing spike peduncle length

  0 mm

  Pollen-producing spike width

  1.2–1.6 mm

  Scale awn

  The carpellate scale does not have an awn (it may have a short point)

  Scale awn texture

  NA

  Scale color

  • green
  • white or translucent

  Scale length

  2.8–3.2 mm

  Scale tip

  the carpellate scale tip is obtuse (has a blunt point)

  Spike on stalk

  the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle

  Spike orientation

  the spikes are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis

  Spikes per stem

  2-15

  Staminate scale tip

  the staminate scale tip is obtuse (has a blunt point)

  Stigma branching

  the stigmas have three branches

  Top spike

  the uppermost spike contains only staminate flowers

• Fruits or seeds

  Achene dimples

  the achene has no folds or dimples

  Achene length

  2.5–3.8 mm

  Achene width

  1.6–1.8 mm

  Style persistence

  the style falls off the mature achenes

• Growth form

  Rhizomes

  there are no rhizomes, or the rhizomes are very short

• Leaves

  Leaf arrangement

  the leaves are mostly produced higher up on the plant

  Leaf blade cross-section

  the leaf blade is flat or M-shaped, with two prominent side-veins

  Leaf blade length to width ratio

  6–10

  Leaf blade texture

  the leaf blade is smooth and hairless, or rough and sandpapery

  Leaf bumps

  the upper surface of the leaf blade does not have papillae

  Leaf sheath bumps

  there are no papillae at the top edge of the leaf sheath

  Leaf sheath color

  • the leaf sheath has no pink, red or purple tinting
  • the leaf sheath is tinted pink, red or purple

  Leaf sheath dots

  there are no dots on the leaf sheathes

  Leaf sheath folds

  there are no corrugations on the leaf sheath

  Leaf sheath texture

  the leaf sheath feels smooth, and has no hairs

  Lowest bract sheath

  the lowest bract has a sheath longer than four millimeters

  Lowest leaf blade width

  10–52 mm

  Lowest leaf sheath texture

  the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)

  stem leaf blade width

  4–16 mm

• Place

  Habitat

  terrestrial

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  • forests
  • ridges or ledges

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Plant height

  10–62 cm

  Relative stem height

  the main stem is taller than the leaves

  Stem cross-section

  the main stem has all three edges raised to narrow wing-like ridges

  Stem spacing

  the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts

Wetland status

Not classified

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae