Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Smooth-sheath Sedge

Carex laevivaginata

(Kukenth.) Mackenzie

Smooth-sheath Sedge

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.142795
Element CodePMCYP036Z0
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
Synonyms
Carex stipata var. laevivaginataKük.
Other Common Names
Carex à gaine lisse (FR) Smooth-sheathed Sedge (EN) smoothsheath 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 Date2024-07-10
Change Date1984-04-05
Edition Date2024-07-10
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Carex laevivaginata is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid occurring in eastern and central North America from Ontario, Canada and Maine, United States south to Georgia and the Florida Panhandle west to Arkansas. Threats include development, grazing, logging, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities, hydrological alteration, succession, and invasive species. Little is known abouttrends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Carex laevivaginata occurs in eastern and central North America from Ontario, Canada and Maine, United States south to Georgia and the Florida Panhandle west to Arkansas (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be approximately 2.5 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, grazing, logging, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities, hydrological alteration, succession, invasive species, and other threats in some places.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Carex laevivaginata grows in "seasonally saturated or inundated soils in wet meadows, marshes, edges of tidal marshes, swamps, or alluvial bottomlands, particularly on calcareous substrates" (FNA 2002).
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLHERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
South CarolinaS4Yes
MaineS1Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
MissouriS3Yes
WisconsinS1Yes
MississippiS4Yes
IowaS3Yes
IndianaS4Yes
IllinoisS1Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
North CarolinaS4Yes
DelawareS5Yes
ArkansasS2Yes
OhioSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
VermontS2Yes
New JerseyS5Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
MarylandSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
MinnesotaS2Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Saint Marys AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest1,454
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. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  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. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.