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• Carex gracillima

Carex gracillima — graceful sedge

Facts

Graceful sedge inhabits moist to wet forests, meadows and swamp edges and is common in New England. It is indeed graceful, particularly the spikes, drooping at maturity, with the glabrous perigynia (sacs enclosing the fruits) arranged like beads along them.

Habitat

Forests, meadows and fields, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)

Characteristics

• 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

  10–70 mm

  Lowest spike stalk length

  Up to 40 mm

  Lowest spike width

  2–3.5 mm

  Perigynium beak

  the perigynium has no beak, or an extremely short beak

  Perigynium beak length

  0 mm

  Perigynium beak orientation

  NA

  Perigynium beak serrations

  NA

  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 relatively round in cross-section
  • the perigynium is trigonous (triangular) in cross-section

  Perigynium hairs

  the perigynium has no hairs

  Perigynium length

  2–3.7 mm

  Perigynium nerve number

  9–17

  Perigynium nerve texture

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

  Perigynium nerves lower side

  4–8

  Perigynium nerves upper side

  4–8

  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)
  • the perigynium body is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
  • the perigynium body is ovate (egg-shaped)

  Perigynium width

  1.3–1.6 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

  0–1

  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)
  • 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 acute (has a sharp point)
  • the carpellate scale tip is rounded to retuse (blunt or rounded, with a notch at the tip)

  Spike on stalk

  the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle

  Spike orientation

  the spikes are bent downwards or droop downwards

  Spikes per stem

  2-15

  Staminate scale tip

  • the staminate scale tip is obtuse (has a blunt point)
  • the staminate scale tip is rounded to retuse (blunt or rounded, with a notch at the tip)

  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

  Achene length

  1.2–2.6 mm

  Achene width

  1–1.2 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 smooth, and has no hairs

  Lowest bract sheath

  the lowest bract has a sheath longer than four millimeters

  Lowest leaf blade width

  3–9 mm

  Lowest leaf sheath texture

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

  stem leaf blade width

  3–9 mm

• Place

  Habitat

  • terrestrial
  • wetlands

  New England state

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

  Specific habitat

  • edges of wetlands
  • forests
  • meadows or fields
  • swamps

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Plant height

  20–90 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

Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae