The Sedges
What are they?
Sedges are a common and sometimes dominant component of many wetland habitats. Sedges are very grass-like in general appearance, but usually can be told by their three-sided stems.
Where are they found?
As a group, sedges are very widespread and species may be found in most types of habitat. However, typically, most species are found in wetland or woodland habitats.
Identification
Identification of most sedge species is not too difficult but is somewhat compounded by the large number of species. As a result, a careful process of working through identification keys is the best method for sorting them out. Here, the more distinctive and commoner species are covered. Plants may need to be visited on more than one occasion to establish their identity to species; in particular, details of the structure of the flower spike are important as well details of the Utricle. The Utricle is the lower part of the female flower which eventually swells to become the seed capsule. The flower spikes usually have a series of flower spikelets with the male flowers generally carried in the top cluster and the female flowers carried in one or more clusters lower down. Some species have all the flowers in a single, terminal cluster.
Smooth-sheathed Sedge Carex laevivaginata
Occasional in wet woods and shady watersides. Flowers and fruit June to July. Very similar to Fox Sedge, but with distinctly more pointed utricles.
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Awl-fruited Sedge Carex stipata
Uncommon in wet woods and shady watersides. Flowers and fruit May to July. An unobtrusive species, somewhat resembling a small Fox Sedge.
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American Fox Sedge Carex vulpinoidea
Common in wet meadows and fields, usually in sunny places and often on trackways where they can be a little more stunted. Flowers and fruit May to August. Tight clumps of leaves have many flowerheads on stiff stems. Lowest part of flower spike often has a very long, leaf-like bract.
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Yellow-fruited Sedge Carex annectens
Common in dry fields and along trackways. Flowers and fruit May to August. Tight clumps of leaves have many flowerheads on stiff stems. Lowest part of flower spike often has a very long, leaf-like bract. Very similar to American Fox Sedge but usually in drier ground.
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Muhlenberg's Sedge Carex muehlenbergii
Occasional in drier field and woodland edge habitats. Flowers and fruit late May to August. This species forms rather loose, open clumps with relatively small flower heads and is thus easily overlooked.
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Silvery Sedge Carex canescens
Uncommon but probably widespread in maple swamps and other wet wood habitats. Flowers and fruit late May to August. Forms rather loose, open clumps with flowerheads that are loosely spaced toward the top of the stem.
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Prickly Bog Sedge Carex atlantica
Uncommon in swampy ground in wet woods. Flower and fruit late May to August. An easily overlooked sedge which resembles Muelenberg's Sedge, but prefers wetter habitats.
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Howe's Sedge Carex howei
Common and widespread in wet, acid soils. Flowers and fruit late May to August. A small species with thin, almost hair-like stems and small flowers, forming tight clumps of vegetation. Formerly considered to be the variety capillacea of Prickly Bog Sedge.
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Eastern Straw Sedge Carex straminea
Fairly common in wet soil, usually in open meadows and firmer marshes. Flowers and fruit late May to August. Often found growing colonially, with a number of tufted clumps in close proximity to each other.
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Marsh Straw Sedge Carex hormathodes
Usually found at the fresher edges of saltmarsh areas and other coastal wetlands. Flowers and fruit late May to August. May be locally common in wetlands, forming stands of flower spikes which gradually elongate and becoming nodding.
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Blunt Broom Sedge Carex tribuloides
Scattered here and there in damp, swampy ground. Flowers and fruit late May to August.
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Broad-winged Sedge Carex alata
Occasional in wet soil along waterways and in swamp woodland. Flowers and fruit June to August. Best identified after flowering, when the seed capsules begin to expand and show wide wings on either side.
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Greenish-white Sedge Carex albolutescens
Occasional in wet soil along waterways and in swamps and bogs. Flowers and fruit May to August.
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Fringed Sedge Carex crinita
A common and showy species of wet woods and shady watersides. Flowers and fruit May to July. A graceful and attractive species with large, pendulous female flower clusters.
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Upright Sedge Carex stricta
A widespread and fairly common species of permanent wetlands and swampy woods. Flowers and fruit late April to July. A clump-forming species which can mature to produce impressive stands of vegetation, the clumps rising above the ground on a base of dead leaf bases.
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Barratt's Sedge Carex barrattii
A scarce species of seasonally flooded, low ground. Flowers and fruit May to July. A spreading species that forms open stands of shoots. Leaves are distinctively bluish on the underside and are creased longitudinally so as to form an M or W shape when viewed in cross section.
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(right) leaf surface |
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Rigid Sedge Carex tetanica
Occasional in wet meadows and damp, open woodland. Flowers and fruit June to July. A clump-forming species with rather compact flower heads, the lowest female cluster being somewhat more distant from the other clusters.
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Bent Sedge Carex styloflexa
Occasional in wooded swamps. Flowers and fruit May to July. A slender, graceful species that can be easily missed among stands of larger plants. Female flower spikes are typically well-spaced on the lower part of the stem.
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Thicket Sedge Carex abscondita
Common in shady spots and along woodland paths. Often in drier spots than most other sedges. A small species, forming loose tussocks of relatively broad-leaved vegetation.
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White-edged Sedge Carex debilis
Typically found in shady wetlands and damp woodland. Flowers and fruit May to July. A slender species which might easily be overlooked, but its pendulous flowerheads are quite distinctive.
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Swan's Sedge Carex swanii
Quite common in woods, shady field edges and some marginal habitats, often on drier ground. Flowers and fruit May to July. An easily-identified species due to its very hairy flower spikes and leaf bases.
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Northern Hirsute Sedge Carex hirsutella
Fairly common in sandy ground on woodland trails and fields. Flowers and fruit May to July. Hairy leaf sheaths are similar to those of Swan's Sedge but flower heads are more compact and not covered in hairs.
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Walter's Sedge Carex striata
Common in well-preserved bogs and wetlands. Flowers and fruit May to July. Best identified by its dense heads of inflated seed capsules.
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Button Sedge Carex bullata
Uncommon in well-preserved bogs and wetlands. Flowers and fruit May to July. An easily-overlooked species as it forms colonies of widely-spaced, single shoots, often among dense stands of Walter's Sedge. The stout, long-spiked fruiting bodies, well spaced below the male flower spike is distinctive in our area.
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Sallow Sedge Carex lurida
A common species of wet areas, especially on the edges of marshes and permanent ponds. Flowers and fruit May to July. A striking species, forming large clumps, often with many plants clustered near each other. Flowers somewhat resemble the flower spikes of willows.
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Bristly Sedge Carex comosa
Frequent in wet areas, especially where water is more or less permanent such as the edges of rivers, lakes and ponds. Flowers and fruit May to July. A large and attractive species, forming sizeable loose clumps.
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Greater Bladder Sedge Carex intumescens
Common in a wide range of wet soils in woods, marshes and wet fields. Flowers and fruit May to July. A readily-identified species with pale, almost white female flower clusters which catch the eye.
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Hop Sedge Carex lupulina
A rather large species of wet woods and marshes. Flowers and fruit May to August. A graceful and attractive species with broad leaves and large, showy female flower clusters.
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above female flowers |
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Northern Long Sedge Carex folliculata
A local species of wet woods and shady marshes. Flowers and fruit May to July. A broad-leaved species with large, showy female flower clusters.
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Collins' Sedge Carex collinsii
Typically found along streamsides and in sphagnum bogs in shady areas, more often than not amongst White-cedar trees. Flowers and fruit June to July. A slender-stemmed species with few-flowered heads and relatively broad leaves, often found in open colonies.
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Parasol Sedge Carex umbellata
A common and widespread species found in dry, sandy soils. Flowers and fruit April to July. One of the earliest-flowering sedges. Forms a tight clump with dried leaves from the previous year still persisting at flowering time. Flower spikes of two kinds - short-stalked, female flowers usually present deep within the leaves, almost and ground level, and longer stalked heads of both male and female flowers. Bracts of male flowers variable in color but usually tinged with reddish brown. Similar in appearance to Black-edged Sedge but leaves average broader, male flowers are lighter-marked and short-stalked and long-stalked flowers have a common stalk at the base.
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| old leaves present |
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Shaved Sedge Carex tonsa
Typically found in dry, sandy soils in the north of the county. Flowers and fruit May to July. A small and easily-overlooked species that forms tight clumps and has flowers borne on rather short stalks.
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| leaves |
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Black-edged Sedge Carex nigromarginata
A common and widespread species found in dry, sandy soils. Flowers and fruit April to July. One of the earliest-flowering sedges. Forms a tight clump with dried leaves from the previous year still persisting at flowering time. Flower spikes of two kinds - short-stalked, female flowers occasionallypresent deep within the leaves, almost and ground level; longer stalked heads of both male and female flowers always present in spring. Bracts of male flowers variable in color but usually darkly tinged with purplish brown. Similar in appearance to Parasol Sedge but leaves average narrower, male flowers are darker-marked and short-stalked flowers (if present) do not have a common stalk with longer-stalked flowers.
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Pennsylvania Sedge Carex pensylvanica
An uncommon species of dry soils. Flowers and fruit April to July. A relatively distinctive species in the Cape May area due to the combination of small flower spikes and its mat-forming rather than tussocky habit. The dark brownish markings on the flower bracts readily identify this species when in flower or fruit.
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fruiting spike |
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Asiatic Sand Sedge Carex kobomugi
Introduced from Asia and rapidly becoming an out of control invasive in coastal sand dunes. Flowers and fruit March to June. This species has become a serious invasive problem in sand dune systems at Sandy Hook State Park and was recently discovered at two sites in the dunes at Ocean City, Cape May County. The large, club-shaped flowerhead and broad, strongly recurved leaves are distinctive.
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| extensive mats |
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