Question: This small sedge has only one stem with flowers. I think it's Carex pensylvanica because some is growing a few …
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Question
This small sedge has only one stem with flowers. I think it's Carex pensylvanica because some is growing a few hundred feet away. (See ask the botanist answer from May 14; that plant has no carpellate basal spikes hidden among leaves.) I was wondering if small individuals of species that normally have basal spikes might lack them, or if they are always present. Open woods, Lincoln, Massachusetts May 18, 2020.
Answer
Dear jfc, it is likely Carex pensylvanica or a closely related species--but until the perigynia are mature, it won't be possible to be 100% confident from the images uploaded here. The shape of the body (nearly globose in this group of species) is crucial for confirmation. I think you are on the right track. Best wishes.
