Carex digitalis — slender woodland sedge
![Perigynia: Carex digitalis. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-digitalis-pe-ahaines-b.jpg)
![Plant form: Carex digitalis. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-digitalis-ha-ahaines-a.jpg)
![Inflorescence: Carex digitalis. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-digitalis-in-ahaines-c.jpg)
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Facts
Slender woodland sedge gets its specific epithet (digitalis) from the latin word for 'finger' due to the finger-like shape of the staminate spikes.
Habitat
Forests
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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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- stem leaf blade width
- 0.8–5 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
- 2–4.2 mm
- Leaf sheath color
- the leaf sheath has no pink, red or purple tinting
- 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
- 2–3.3 mm
- Bumps on fruit
- there are no papillae on the perigynium surface
- Length of scale
- the scale is shorter than the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 6–18 mm
- Lowest spike stalk length
- 5–102 mm
- Lowest spike width
- 3–4 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- 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 not divided at the tip into two teeth, or the teeth are very tiny
- Perigynium beak teeth length
- 0 mm
- Perigynium color
- green
- Perigynium cross-section
- the perigynium is trigonous (triangular) in cross-section
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 2–4.2 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- At least 16
- Perigynium nerve texture
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- At least 8
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- At least 8
- Perigynium orientation
- 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 obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- Perigynium width
- 1.2–1.8 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 11–24 mm
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 1
- Pollen-producing spike peduncle length
- 4–87 mm
- Pollen-producing spike width
- 1–2.7 mm
- Scale awn
- The carpellate scale does not have an awn (it may have a short point)
- Scale awn texture
- NA
- Scale color
-
- green
- white or translucent
- Scale length
- 1.8–2 mm
- Scale tip
- 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 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 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
- 1.8–2.8 mm
- Achene width
- 1–1.6 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
- 88–100
- 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 has no pink, red or purple tinting
- 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
- 1–5.3 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
- stem leaf blade width
- 0.8–5 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
- forests
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 7–52 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
Occurs only in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: UPL)
In New England
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.
var. digitalis
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
Subspecies and varieties
Our variety is Carex digitalis Willd. var. digitalis
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
22. Carex digitalis Willd. var. digitalis N
slender woodland sedge. CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Mesic to dry-mesic, deciduous and mixed evergreen-deciduous forests.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Carex abscondita:
- staminate spikes mostly 0.6-1.4 mm wide, staminate scales obtuse at the apex, mostly 2.6-3.6 mm long, and vegetative shoots much taller than the flowering stems (vs. C. digitalis, with staminate spikes mostly 1.2-2.7 mm wide, staminate scales acute at apex, mostly 3.6-5.5 mm long, and vegetative shoots shorter than to slightly taller than flowering stems).
- Carex laxiculmis:
- leaves blades glaucous and lowest scales on lateral spikes without perigynia (vs. C. digitalis, with leaf blades green and lowest scales on lateral spikes subtending perigynia).