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Carex comosa

Boott

Bristly Sedge

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.141025
Element CodePMCYP032Y0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyCyperaceae
GenusCarex
Other Common Names
Bottlebrush Sedge (EN) Carex à toupet (FR) Comosa Sedge (EN) Longhair Sedge (EN) longhair sedge (EN) Porcupine 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 MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-05-13
Change Date1984-02-24
Edition Date1998-05-18
Edition AuthorsGRIES, D
Rank Reasons
Carex comosa is widely distributed, occurring from Quebec south to the southeastern United States, including Texas. It is disjunct and rare in the Pacific states; in Idaho, it is known from only three occurrences. Marsh drainage, herbicides, pesticides, and altered hydrologic regimes pose threats to this taxon.
Range Extent Comments
Quebec to Minnesota and south; disjunct in the Pacific states; in Idaho, occurs in Bonner and Boundary Counties (Idaho Native Plant Society, 1992). In California, occurs in Contra Costa, Lake, Shasta, San Joaquin, and Sonoma Counties, extirpated in San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco Counties (Skinner, 1997). In Washington, known from Chelan, Jefferson, King, Pend Oreille, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, and Whatcom Counties; historical in Kittitas and Walla Walla Counties (Washington Natural Heritage Program, 1997). South to Florida and Louisiana. Peripheral.
Occurrences Comments
In Idaho, known from three occurrences (Idaho Native Plant Society, 1992).
Threat Impact Comments
Marsh drainage (Skinner, 1997). Housing development, herbicides, pesticides, altered hydrologic regimes (Washington Natural Heritage Program, 1981).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Bristly Sedge is a coarse, perennial, grasslike plant with clustered stems, 5-10 dm high, which arise from a short rhizome. The long, glabrous leaves are flat and 4-11 mm wide. Flowers are clustered in cylindical spikes, 2-7 cm long, which arise from the axils of the smaller upper leaves (bracts). The lowest bract leaf is much longer than the inflorescence. Male flowers are borne in a narrow spike at the top; 3-5 nodding female spikes, 15 mm thick, occur below. The glabrous, spreading, pale green, lance-shaped perigynia, 5-8 mm long, have a long beak ending in two long, slender, divergent lobes. The papery scales subtending the perigynia are 1-2 mm long with a pointed tip which can be up to 6 mm long. Each perigynia has 3 styles and a 3-sided achene.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Other closely related coarse sedges with nodding spikes are C. HYSTRICINA and sometimes C. UTRICULATA, but neither of these species have perigynia with sharp-pointed, spreading lobes. A hand lens will be needed to observe these characters.

Habitat

Marshes, lakeshores, and wet meadows (Idaho Native Plant Society, 1992).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceous
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS3Yes
VermontS4Yes
DelawareS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
IdahoS2Yes
OregonS1Yes
IllinoisS3Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
IowaS3Yes
TexasS1Yes
New JerseyS5Yes
South DakotaSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
IndianaS4Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
West VirginiaS2Yes
WashingtonS3Yes
MontanaS1Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
OklahomaS1Yes
MissouriS2Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
KentuckySHYes
MississippiS1Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
ArkansasS1Yes
TennesseeS2Yes
FloridaSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
CaliforniaS2Yes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS3Yes
Prince Edward IslandS1Yes
New BrunswickS2Yes
Nova ScotiaS2Yes
British ColumbiaS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
Pilot CreekSix Rivers National Forest9,192
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Wambaw ExtFrancis Marion National Forest527
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Washington (2)
AreaForestAcres
EntiatWenatchee National Forest72,617
Rock CreekWenatchee National Forest32,239
References (7)
  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. Idaho Native Plant Society. 1992. Federal candidate (C1 and C2) and listed rare plants of Idaho. unpaginated.
  3. 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.
  4. Skinner, M.W., and B.M. Pavlik, eds. 1997 (1994). Inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California. 1997 Electronic Inventory Update of 1994 5th edition, California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 1, Sacramento.
  5. Washington Natural Heritage Program. 1981. An illustrated guide to the endangered, threatened and sensitive vascular plants of Washington. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Olympia. 328 pp.
  6. Washington Natural Heritage Program. 1997. Endangered, Threatened and Sensitive Vascular Plants of Washington - with Working Lists of Rare Non-Vascular Species. Department of Natural Resources. Olympia. 62 p.
  7. Weakley, A.S. 1997. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia: working draft of 21 July 1997. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Southern Conservation Science Dept., Chapel Hill, North Carolina.