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- Carex reznicekii
Carex reznicekii — Reznicek's sedge
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Facts
Remarkably, Reznicek's sedge was first discovered as recently as 2006 by New York botanist David Werier. It is named for sedge (Carex) expert Dr. Anton Reznicek of the University of Michigan. In New England, Reznicek's sedge is known only from Connecticut and Rhode Island, and is protected in both states.
Habitat
Forests, ridges or ledges, talus and rocky slopes, woodlands
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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Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
- stem leaf blade width
- 1.2–2.5 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 has a peduncle
- Top spike
- the uppermost spike contains only staminate flowers
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium is hairy
- Perigynium length
- 2.5–3.9 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 divided at the top into two teeth
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 1.2–2.3 mm
- 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
- the scale is shorter than the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 3.4–7.2 mm
- Lowest spike stalk length
- 0.3–1.4 mm
- Lowest spike width
- 1.8–4.4 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- 0.4–1 mm
- Perigynium beak teeth
- the perigynium beak is divided at the top into two teeth
- Perigynium beak teeth length
- 0.1–0.3 mm
- Perigynium color
- green
- Perigynium cross-section
-
- the perigynium is planoconvex (flat on one surface and rounded on the other) in cross-section
- the perigynium is trigonous (triangular) in cross-section
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium is hairy
- Perigynium length
- 2.5–3.9 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- 2–10
- Perigynium nerve texture
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- 1–4
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- 1–4
- 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 elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- Perigynium width
- 0.8–1.5 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 3.3–9.2 mm
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 1
- Pollen-producing spike peduncle length
- 0.2–0.7 mm
- Pollen-producing spike width
- 0.4–1.8 mm
- Scale awn
- The carpellate scale does not have an awn (it may have a short point)
- Scale color
-
- brown
- green
- Scale length
- 2.6–4.3 mm
- Scale tip
-
- the carpellate scale tip is acute (has a sharp point)
- 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 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)
- the staminate scale tip is obtuse (has a blunt 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
- 1.4–1.9 mm
- Achene width
- 0.9–1.3 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 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 208
- 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
- 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 rough, or has hairs
- Ligule length
- 0.3–1.5 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
- 1.2–2.5 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
-
- the leaf sheath feels rough
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
- stem leaf blade width
- 1.2–2.5 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
- Specific habitat
-
- forests
- ridges or ledges
- talus or rocky slopes
- woodlands
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 1.3–13.7 cm
- Relative stem height
- the main stem is equal to or shorter than the leaves
- Spike internode length
- 0.8–5.2 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
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Connecticut
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
- Rhode Island
- historical (S-rank: SH), state historical (code: SH)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
9. Carex reznicekii Werier NC
Reznicek’s sedge. CT, RI. Dry-mesic to mesic woodlands and forests, often on circumneutral, rocky or ledgy slopes.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Carex nigromarginata:
- widest leaf blades mostly 2.3-4.5 mm wide, reproductive stems 8-38 cm tall, and longest staminate spike exceeding the carpellate spikes by mostly 0.5-5.1 mm (vs. C. reznicekii, with widest leaf blades mostly 1.2-2.2 mm wide, reproductive stems 1.9-9.1 cm tall, and longest staminate spike exceeding the carpellate spikes by 0-3.7 mm).