Carex flacca — glaucous sedge
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Facts
Glaucous sedge is an introduced species from Europe that is occasionally found in Connecticut and Vermont, but may be spreading. It prefers areas of high-pH bedrock, in rich forests, swamps and wet meadows.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forests, meadows and fields, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
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
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Vermont
- stem leaf blade width
- 3 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
- 2.2 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 not divided at the tip into two teeth, or the teeth are very tiny
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- Up to 2.5 mm
- Bumps on fruit
- the perigynium surface has papillae on it
- Inflorescence length
- Up to 100 mm
- Length of scale
- the scale is nearly as long as, or longer than, the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 20–45 mm
- Lowest spike width
- 4 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- Up to 0.1 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 not divided at the tip into two teeth, or the teeth are very tiny
- Perigynium beak teeth length
- 0–0.8 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
- 2.2 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- 0–2
- Perigynium nerve texture
- NA
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- 0
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- 0
- 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
- 1.4 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 10–30 mm
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 1–3
- Pollen-producing spike peduncle length
- Up to 25 mm
- Scale awn
- The carpellate scale does not have an awn (it may have a short point)
- Scale awn texture
- NA
- Scale color
- red-brown
- Scale tip
- the carpellate scale tip is obtuse (has a blunt point)
- Spike on stalk
- the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle
- Spike orientation
-
- the spikes are angled outwards, or arched over
- the spikes are bent downwards or droop downwards
- the spikes are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis
- Spikes per stem
- 2-15
- 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
- 1.6 mm
- Achene width
- 1.1 mm
- Style persistence
- the style falls off the mature achenes
-
Growth form
- Rhizomes
- there are long rhizomes present
-
Leaves
- Leaf arrangement
- the leaves are all produced from the base of the plant
- Leaf blade cross-section
-
- The leaf blade is folded lengthwise, with one prominent midvien
- the leaf blade is flat or M-shaped, with two prominent side-veins
- Leaf blade length to width ratio
- Up to 116
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is smooth and hairless, or rough and sandpapery
- Leaf bumps
- the upper surface of the leaf blade has papillae on it
- 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
- Lowest bract sheath
- the lowest bract has no sheath (or a very short sheath up to four millimeters in length)
- Lowest leaf blade width
- 3 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
- stem leaf blade width
- 3 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of wetlands
- forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- swamps
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- Up to 35 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
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
None
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
177. Carex flacca Schreb. E
glaucous sedge. Carex glauca Scop. • CT, VT. Rich forests, swamps, hydric meadows, ditches, wetland edges, usually in regions of high-pH bedrock.