Carex houghtoniana — Houghton's sedge
![Plant form: Carex houghtoniana. ~ By Marilee Lovit. ~ Copyright © 2024 Marilee Lovit. ~ lovitm[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-houghtoniana-ha-mlovit-b.jpg)
![Perigynia: Carex houghtoniana. ~ By Marilee Lovit. ~ Copyright © 2024 Marilee Lovit. ~ lovitm[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-houghtoniana-pe-mlovit-d.jpg)
![Inflorescence: Carex houghtoniana. ~ By Marilee Lovit. ~ Copyright © 2024 Marilee Lovit. ~ lovitm[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-houghtoniana-in-mlovit-a.jpg)
![Inflorescence: Carex houghtoniana. ~ By Marilee Lovit. ~ Copyright © 2024 Marilee Lovit. ~ lovitm[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com:443/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-houghtoniana-in-mlovit-c.jpg)
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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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enlargeFacts
Houghton's sedge is a sedge of disturbed fields, roadsides and logged forests, that responds strongly to fire or other disturbances, and it may die out after a few years if the disturbance is not repeated.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forests, meadows and fields, ridges or ledges
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- stem leaf blade width
- 2.8–8.5 mm
- Lowest bract sheath
- the lowest bract has no sheath (or a very short sheath up to four millimeters in length)
- 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 is hairy
- Perigynium length
- 4.5–6.5 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 divided at the top into two teeth
-
Flowers
- Bumps on fruit
- there are no papillae on the perigynium surface
- Inflorescence length
- 45–230 mm
- Length of scale
- the scale is shorter than the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 10–40 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- 1.2–2 mm
- Perigynium beak orientation
- the beak of the perigynium is straight, and in line with the perigynium
- Perigynium beak serrations
- the perigynium beak has no serrations
- Perigynium beak teeth
- the perigynium beak is divided at the top into two teeth
- Perigynium beak teeth length
- 0.5–0.8 mm
- Perigynium color
-
- brown
- green
- Perigynium cross-section
-
- the perigynium is relatively round in cross-section
- the perigynium is trigonous (triangular) in cross-section
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium is hairy
- Perigynium length
- 4.5–6.5 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- 16–22
- Perigynium nerve texture
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- 8–11
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- 8–11
- Perigynium orientation
-
- the perigynia are angled outwards
- the perigynia are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis or adjacent perigynia
- Perigynium puffy
- the achene is tightly enclosed by the perigynium
- Perigynium shape
-
- the perigynium body is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the perigynium body is ovate (egg-shaped)
- Perigynium width
- 2–2.9 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 20–40 mm
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 1–3
- Pollen-producing spike peduncle length
- 8–90 mm
- Scale awn
- The carpellate scale does not have an awn (it may have a short point)
- Scale awn texture
- NA
- Scale color
-
- purple to black
- red-brown
- 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)
- 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
- Style persistence
- the style falls off the mature achenes
-
Growth form
- Rhizomes
- there are long rhizomes present
-
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 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 red dots on the translucent tissues of 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
- Ligule length
- 1.5–14 mm
- Lowest bract sheath
- the lowest bract has no sheath (or a very short sheath up to four millimeters in length)
- Lowest leaf blade width
- 2.8–8.5 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
- stem leaf blade width
- 2.8–8.5 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- ridges or ledges
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 20–100 cm
- Relative stem height
- 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 singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- New Hampshire
- uncommon (S-rank: S3), W (code: W)
- Vermont
- historical (S-rank: SH)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Carex pellita:
- perigynia mostly 2.4-5 mm long, with pubescence dense enough to conceal the veins (vs. C. houghtoniana, with perigynia 4.5-6.5 mm long, the pubescence not so dense as to conceal the veins).
- Carex vestita:
- beak of perigyium with soft, hyaline, obscure teeth and inflorescence with 1 or rarely 2 staminate spikes borne on peduncles 2-20 mm long (vs. C. houghtoniana, with beak of perigynium with distinct teeth 0.5-0.8 mm long and inflorescence with 1-3 staminate spikes borne of peduncles mostly 20-90 mm long).
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
118. Carex houghtoniana Torr. ex Dewey N
Houghton’s sedge. ME, NH, VT. Open, often disturbed, soils of fields, roadsides, logged forests, and ledges.