Carex bromoides

Kartesz (1994) treats infraspecific taxa as varieties while Kartesz (1999), FNA (2002, vol. 23), and Weakley et al. (2025) treat infraspecific taxa as subspecies.

Carex bromoides is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid in a variety of wetland types with two subspecies, which occur in eastern North America from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, Canada south to peninsular Florida and eastern Texas in the United States. There are estimated to be over 800 occurrences, which face threats from development, cattle grazing, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, hydrological alteration, recreational activities, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.

Carex bromoides occurs in eastern North America from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, Canada south to peninsular Florida and eastern Texas in the United States (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). It is also reported to be disjunct in southern Mexico (FNA 2002); however, the species is not included in the Mexico native vascular plant checklist (Villaseñor 2016). Range extent was estimated to be over 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). See individual entries for distribution details about the two subspecies.

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 800 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).

Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by development, cattle grazing, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, hydrological alteration, recreational activities (especially off-road vehicles), 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, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.