Carex vulpinoidea — common fox sedge
![Inflorescence: Carex vulpinoidea. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-vulpinoidea-in-ahaines.jpg)
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Facts
Common fox sedge is native to North America, but introduced elsewhere in the world, including Europe. It can be weedy in some places, favoring disturbed sites such as roadside ditches.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), marshes, meadows and fields
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
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- stem leaf blade width
- 2–6 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 carpellate flowers located below, or intermixed with, the staminate flowers
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 2–3.2 mm
- Leaf sheath color
-
- the leaf sheath has no pink, red or purple tinting
- 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
- Bumps on fruit
- there are no papillae on the perigynium surface
- Inflorescence length
- 30–100 mm
- Length of scale
- the scale is nearly as long as, or longer than, the perigynium
- Lowest spike stalk length
- 0 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- 0.8–1.2 mm
- 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
- Perigynium cross-section
- the perigynium is planoconvex (flat on one surface and rounded on the other) in cross-section
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 2–3.2 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- 0–3
- Perigynium nerve texture
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- 0–3
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- 0
- Perigynium orientation
-
- the perigynia are angled outwards
- 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)
- the perigynium body is ovate (egg-shaped)
- Perigynium width
- 1.3–1.8 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 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 has an awn on it
- Scale awn texture
- the carpellate scale awn has tiny teeth
- Scale color
- brown
- 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
- more than 15
- Stigma branching
- the stigmas have two branches
- Top spike
- the uppermost spike contains both staminate and carpellate flowers, with the carpellate flowers located below, or intermixed with, the staminate flowers
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene dimples
- the achene has no folds or dimples
- Achene length
- 1.2–1.4 mm
- Achene width
- 1 mm
- Style persistence
- the style falls off the mature achenes
-
Growth form
- Rhizomes
-
- there are long rhizomes present
- 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
- Up to 240
- 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
- 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
- the leaf sheath has corrugations on it
- Leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth, and has no hairs
- Ligule length
- Up to 2 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
- 2–6 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
- stem leaf blade width
- 2–6 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- marshes
- meadows or fields
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- Up to 100 cm
- Relative stem height
- the main stem is equal to or shorter than the leaves
- Spike internode length
- Up to 25 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
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
116. Carex vulpinoidea Michx. N
common fox sedge. Carex setacea Dewey • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Wet-mesic to hydric soils of meadows, marshes, and ditches.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Carex annectens:
- leaves shorter than the flower stem and perigynium beak up to one-third as long as the perigynium body (vs. C. vulpinoidea, with leaves taller than the flowering stem and perigynium beak one-third to one-half as long as the perigynium body).
Synonyms
- Carex setacea Dewey