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- Carex gracilescens
Carex gracilescens — slender loose-flowered sedge
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Facts
Slender loose-flowered sedge is native to eastern North America, but very rare in New England, where a few populations are known from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. It prefers forests, woodlands, and wetland margins.
Habitat
Forest edges, forests, wetland margins (edges of wetlands), woodlands
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- stem leaf blade width
- 1–5 mm
- Lowest bract sheath
- the lowest bract has a sheath longer than four millimeters
- Spike on stalk
- the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle
- Top spike
- the uppermost spike contains only staminate flowers
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 2.8–3 mm
- Leaf sheath color
- the leaf sheath is tinted pink, red or purple
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is smooth and hairless, or rough and sandpapery
- Perigynium beak teeth
- the perigynium beak is not divided at the tip into two teeth, or the teeth are very tiny
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 2.6–3 mm
- Bumps on fruit
- there are no papillae on the perigynium surface
- Distance between perigynia
- 1.1–4.8 mm
- Length of scale
-
- the scale is nearly as long as, or longer than, the perigynium
- the scale is shorter than the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 11–21 mm
- Lowest spike stalk length
- Up to 110 mm
- Lowest spike width
- 3–4 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- 0.2–0.8 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
- 2.8–3 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- 22–32
- Perigynium nerve texture
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- 11–16
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- 11–16
- 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 elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the perigynium body is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- Perigynium width
- 1.5–1.8 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 11–21 mm
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 1
- Pollen-producing spike width
- 1–2.2 mm
- Scale awn
-
- The carpellate scale does not have an awn (it may have a short point)
- the carpellate scale has an awn on it
- Scale awn texture
-
- NA
- the carpellate scale awn does not have teeth (it may or may not have hairs)
- Scale color
-
- green
- white or translucent
- Scale length
- 2.8–3 mm
- Scale tip
-
- the carpellate scale tip is acuminate (tapered to a narrow point)
- the carpellate scale tip is acute (has a sharp 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 acute (has a sharp 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
- 2.6–2.8 mm
- Achene width
- 1.3–1.6 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 all produced from the base of 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
- 76–190
- 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 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
- 1–5 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
- stem leaf blade width
- 1–5 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- edges of wetlands
- forests
- woodlands
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 13–78 cm
- Relative stem height
-
- the main stem is equal to or shorter than the leaves
- the main stem is taller than the leaves
- Stem cross-section
- the main stem is roughly triangular in cross-section
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Connecticut
- unrankable (S-rank: SU)
- Massachusetts
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
- Vermont
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Carex ormostachya:
- longest carpellate spike 19-33 mm long, with a basal internode of 3.5-14 mm long, and upper portion of flowering stem +/- smooth on the angles (vs. C. gracilescens, with longest carpellate spike 11-21 mm long, with a basal internode of mostly 1.1-3.2 mm long, and upper portion of flowering stem scabrous on the angles).
Synonyms
- Carex laxiflora Lam. var. gracillima (Boott) Boott ex B.L. Robins. & Fern.
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
97. Carex gracilescens Steud. NC
slender loose-flowered sedge. Carex laxiflora Lam. var. gracillima (Boott) Boott ex B.L. Robins. & Fern. CT, MA, VT. Forests, woodlands, edges, and wetland margins.