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Carex gracillima

Schwein.

Graceful Sedge

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.143778
Element CodePMCYP035E0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyCyperaceae
GenusCarex
Other Common Names
Carex filiforme (FR) graceful sedge (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-07-09
Change Date1984-02-29
Edition Date2025-07-09
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Carex gracillima is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid in mesic to dry deciduous and mixed forests occurring in eastern North America from Newfoundland Island and Nova Scotia west to Manitoba, Canada south to Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and North Dakota in the United States. There are over 1,800 estimated occurrences, which face threats from development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Carex gracillima occurs in eastern North America from Newfoundland Island and Nova Scotia west to Manitoba, Canada south to Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and North Dakota in the United States (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be over 4.4 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 1,800 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
In the southeastern United States, this species is probably affected by commercial forestry practices; land-use conversion and habitat fragmentation are low-level threats to this species (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002). Additional threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species (NatureServe 2025). However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Carex gracillima grows in "mesic to dry deciduous forests, including edges and openings, mixed conifer-hardwood forests, coniferous swamps, thickets, meadows, [and] roadsides" (FNA 2002), as well as "moist ravine and slope forests, floodplains of rivers and large creeks" in the southeastern United States (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedForest EdgeShrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceous
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MissouriS1Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
IllinoisS2Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
New JerseyS5Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
ArkansasS1Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
IowaS3Yes
OhioS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
AlabamaS1Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
IndianaS4Yes
North DakotaS1Yes
VermontS5Yes
South CarolinaS2Yes
MichiganSNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
MaineSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
DelawareS3Yes
New YorkS5Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaS2Yes
OntarioS5Yes
QuebecS5Yes
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS3Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Phantom LakeSuperior National Forest6,521
References (9)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 23. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 608 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  7. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  9. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).