Carex longii — Long's sedge
![Inflorescence: Carex longii. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-longii-in-ahaines.jpg)
![Leaves: Carex longii. ~ By Kim Starr. ~ Copyright © 2024 CC BY 3.0. ~ starrimages[at]hear.org ~ Plants of Hawaii - www.hear.org/starr/images/?o=plants](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-longii-le-kstarr3.jpg)
![Perigynia: Carex longii. ~ By Elizabeth Farnsworth. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-longii-pe-efarnsworth.jpg)
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Facts
Long's sedge is a sedge of wet or seasonally wet soils of fields, pond shores, ditches, and swamp edges. It is native to North America but introduced in Hawaii and New Zealand.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), bogs, meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes, 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
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- stem leaf blade width
- 2–4.5 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 is not borne on a peduncle
- Top spike
- the uppermost spike contains both staminate and carpellate flowers, with the staminate flowers located below the carpellate flowers
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 3–4.6 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 divided at the top into two teeth
-
Flowers
- Bumps on fruit
- there are no papillae on the perigynium surface
- Inflorescence length
- 10–60 mm
- Length of scale
- the scale is shorter than the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 6–17 mm
- Lowest spike stalk length
- 0 mm
- Lowest spike width
- 3.8–7 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 tiny serrations along the edges
- Perigynium beak teeth
- the perigynium beak is divided at the top into two teeth
- Perigynium color
-
- brown
- green
- Perigynium cross-section
- the perigynium is relatively flat in cross-section
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 3–4.6 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- At least 10
- Perigynium nerve texture
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- At least 5
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- At least 5
- 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
- 1.6–2.8 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has wings on it
- 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
- other
- white or translucent
- Scale length
- 2.2–3.7 mm
- Scale tip
- the carpellate scale tip is obtuse (has a blunt point)
- Spike on stalk
- the lowest spike on the plant is not borne on a peduncle
- Spike orientation
- the spikes are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis
- Spikes per stem
- 2-15
- Stigma branching
- the stigmas have two 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
- 1.3–1.7 mm
- Achene width
- 0.7–1 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 folded lengthwise, with one prominent midvien
- Leaf blade length to width ratio
- 40–67
- 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
- the top edge of the leaf sheath has papillae on it
- 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
- Ligule length
- 1.8–6 mm
- Lowest bract sheath
- the lowest bract has no sheath (or a very short sheath up to four millimeters in length)
- Lowest leaf blade width
- 2–4.5 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
- stem leaf blade width
- 2–4.5 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- bogs
- edges of wetlands
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 30–140 cm
- Relative stem height
- the main stem is taller than the leaves
- Spike internode length
- 1–14 mm
- 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)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
- Vermont
- historical (S-rank: SH)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
48. Carex longii Mackenzie N
Long’s sedge. CT, MA, ME, RI, VT. Saturated or seasonally saturated soils of fields, pond shores, ditches, and peatland margins.
Native to North America?
Yes and no (some introduced)
Sometimes confused with
- Carex albolutescens:
- carpellate scales acute, perigynium beak slender, and apical, herbaceous portion of the leaf sheath smooth (vs. C. longii, with carpellate scales obtuse, perigynium beak triangular, and apical, herbaceous portion of leaf sheath minutely papillose).
- Carex molesta:
- body of perigynium elliptic to suborbicular, achenes 0.9-1.3 mm wide, and inflorescence congested, even near the base (vs. C. longii, with body of perigynium obovate, achenes 0.7-1 mm wide, and inflorescence usually not congested at base).