Carex buxbaumii

Brown Bog Sedge is a loosely clumped grass-like perennial that grows in patches. The bases of the plants are purplish-red tinged. Leaves are strap-like, 2.0-3.5 mm wide, and light-green. Stems are 25-75 cm long and are terminated by one flower/fruit cluster (spike). This terminal spike has female flowers above and male flowers below. Also towards the apex of the stem are 2-4 cylindrical spikes composed entirely of female flowers. These spikes are on short, erect, secondary stems that attach to the main stem. The female flowers mature into fruit (perigynia) which are 2.5-4.0 mm long (Mackenzie 1931-1935, Murray 2002).

Uppermost spike (at least usually) both pistillate and staminate (the similar C. limosa spike is entirely staminate); strongly bicolored pistillate scales; spikes sessile or with short pedicel; glaucous foliage. Within Section Atratae: pistillate spikes mostly sessile or nearly so (C. atratiformis has the pistillate spikes on slender peduncles 1-4 cm); stems of the season aphyllopodic, not surrounded by dried sheaths of previous years (although these may be present on old stems), perigynia densely and conspicuously papillate (C. norvegica and C. parryana have stems of the season phyllopodic or somewhat aphyllopodic, surrounded by the dried sheaths of previous years, perigynia not notable papillate) (Gleason and Cronquist 1991).

Carex buxbaumii grows in wet meadows, marshes, bogs, fens, and seepages (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). It is found in a variety of wet places, with the most commonly listed habitats for North America as bogs and wet meadows, with others include fens, marshes, wet shores, swamps, "marly bogs and marshes," prairie swales, wet river bottom prairie, alluvial meadows, and springs (Fernald 1950, Steyermark 1963, Lakela 1965, Radford et al. 1968, Correll and Correll 1972, Voss 1972, Hough 1983, Gleason and Cronquist 1991, Larson 1993). Seldom-listed habitats in North America include rocky places along the Lake Superior shore (Lakela 1965, Voss 1972), swampy or wet woods (Steyermark 1963, Naczi and Bryson 1990), and aspen groves (Weber 1990).

Lower spikelets are pistillate, uppermost one is gynecandrous (Fernald 1950, Gleason and Cronquist 1991) or androgynecandrous (Radford et al. 1968) or staminate throughout (Fernald 1950). Spreads by long rhizomes. All Cyperaceae, except Dichromena, are wind-pollinated. The inflated perigynium allows Carex seeds to float for long periods of time (two days to over twelve months, depending on the species), and various species are also dispersed by ants, birds, and mammals (Ridley 1930).