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• Carex buxbaumii

Carex buxbaumii — brown bog sedge

Facts

A widespread sedge with a circumboreal distribution, brown bog sedge occurs in wet, often calcareous sites. This plant gets its specific epithet (buxbaumii) from Johann Christian Buxbaum (1693-1730), a german botanist who collected in Greece, the Middle East, and Russia.

Habitat

Fens, floodplain (river or stream floodplains), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Bumps on fruit

  the perigynium surface has papillae on it

  Length of scale

  the scale is nearly as long as, or longer than, the perigynium

  Lowest spike length

  10–25 mm

  Lowest spike stalk length

  Up to 10 mm

  Lowest spike width

  6–10 mm

  Perigynium beak

  • the perigynium has a beak
  • the perigynium has no beak, or an extremely short beak

  Perigynium beak length

  0–0.2 mm

  Perigynium beak orientation

  the beak of the perigynium is straight, and in line with the perigynium

  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

  Up to 0.5 mm

  Perigynium color

  • green
  • tan
  • yellow

  Perigynium cross-section

  the perigynium is relatively round in cross-section

  Perigynium hairs

  the perigynium has no hairs

  Perigynium length

  2.5–4 mm

  Perigynium nerve number

  12–16

  Perigynium nerve texture

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

  Perigynium nerves lower side

  6–8

  Perigynium nerves upper side

  6–8

  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 elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)

  Perigynium width

  1.5–2 mm

  Perigynium winged

  the perigynium has no wings

  Pollen- and seed-producing spikes

  some of the spikes produce perigynia

  Pollen-producing spike length

  0 mm

  Pollen-producing spike number

  0

  Pollen-producing spike peduncle length

  0 mm

  Pollen-producing spike width

  0 mm

  Scale awn

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

  Scale awn texture

  NA

  Scale color

  • brown
  • tan

  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 acuminate (tapered to a narrow point)

  Stigma branching

  the stigmas have three branches

  Top spike

  the uppermost spike contains both staminate and carpellate flowers, with the staminate flowers located below the carpellate 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 folded lengthwise, with one prominent midvien

  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 no sheath (or a very short sheath up to four millimeters in length)

  Lowest leaf blade width

  2–3.5 mm

  Lowest leaf sheath texture

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

  stem leaf blade width

  2–3.5 mm

• Place

  Habitat

  • terrestrial
  • wetlands

  New England state

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

  Specific habitat

  • fens
  • meadows or fields
  • river or stream floodplains
  • shores of rivers or lakes
  • swamps

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Plant height

  25–75 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

Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae