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- Carex arctata
Carex arctata — drooping woodland 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
The leaves of the flowering stems of drooping woodland sedge tend to be narrower than the leaves of the vegetative stems.
Habitat
Forests
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- stem leaf blade width
- 3–5 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
- 3–5 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
- Length of scale
- the scale is shorter than the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 25–80 mm
- Lowest spike stalk length
- Up to 30 mm
- Lowest spike width
- 2–3 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- 1.7–4 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
- 0.5–1.4 mm
- Perigynium color
- green
- Perigynium cross-section
-
- the perigynium is relatively round in cross-section
- the perigynium is trigonous (triangular) in cross-section
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 3–5 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- 12–22
- Perigynium nerve texture
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- 6–11
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- 6–11
- 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 ovate (egg-shaped)
- Perigynium width
- 1–2 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 6–40 mm
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 1
- Pollen-producing spike peduncle length
- 0–28 mm
- Pollen-producing spike width
- 0.8–2 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
-
- the carpellate scale awn does not have teeth (it may or may not have hairs)
- the carpellate scale awn has tiny teeth
- Scale color
-
- green
- white or translucent
- Scale tip
- the carpellate scale tip is acuminate (tapered to a narrow point)
- Spike on stalk
- the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle
- Spike orientation
-
- the spikes are bent downwards or droop downwards
- the spikes are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis
- Spikes per stem
- 2-15
- Staminate scale tip
- the staminate scale tip is acuminate (tapered to a narrow 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
- 1.7–2.6 mm
- Achene width
- 0.8–1.7 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 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 rough, or has hairs
- 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
- 3–13 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
-
- the leaf sheath feels rough
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
- stem leaf blade width
- 3–5 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
- forests
-
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 close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Carex debilis:
- perigynia 5-9.5 mm long and achene elevated on a short stipe within the perigynium (vs. C. arctata, with perigynia 3-5 mm long and achene not elevated within the perigynium).
Synonyms
- Carex arctata var. faxonii Bailey
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
87. Carex arctata Boott in Hook. N
drooping woodland sedge. Carex arctata Boott in Hook. var. faxonii Bailey • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Dry-mesic to wet-mesic forests, including deciduous, evergreen, and mixed types.
87×88. Carex arctata × Carex castanea → Carex ×knieskernii Dewey is a rare, largely sterile hybrid know from ME, NH. It has long spikes of intermediate width between the two parents (20–45 ×3–5 mm) and sparsely pubescent leaf blades (the hairs most abundant in the basal portion of the blade).