Home/Species/ Awned Sedge

Carex atherodes

Spreng.

Awned Sedge

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.131667

Element CodePMCYP03160

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

Carex épi-de-blé (FR) Wheat Sedge (EN) wheat 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 Date2025-06-13

Change Date1984-04-16

Edition Date2025-06-13

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 atherodes is a perennial graminoid that can be found in a variety of open wetlands in North America and Eurasia. In North America, it occurs from Alaska, United States east to Quebec, Canada and south in the United States to Virginia west to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. There are estimated to be thousands of occurrences, which face threats from development, rights-of-way maintenance, hydrological alteration, 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.

Range Extent Comments

Carex atherodes occurs in North America and Eurasia (FNA 2002). In North America, it occurs from Alaska, United States east to Quebec, Canada and south in the United States to Virginia west to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California (FNA 2002). It is very common in portions of the Midwest and West, and it is uncommon and local in eastern North America (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated 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 thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).

Threat Impact Comments

Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, hydrological alteration, 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, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Awned sedge is a loosely tufted grass-like perennial that grows in patches. There are two kinds of stems on the plants. One type has flowers and fruits (reproductive stems) and the other lacks these structures (vegetative stems). Reproductive stems are less common than the vegetative stems and are often lacking. Reproductive stems are 35-125 cm tall. Leaves are 3-10 mm wide, usually hairy, and are clustered towards the top of the vegetative stems. The upper half of the reproductive stems have 3-11 narrowly cylindrical flower/fruit clusters (spikes). The upper 1-6 are composed of male flowers. The lower 2-5 spikes are mostly composed of female flowers which mature into fruits (perigynia). The fruits are 6.5-12.0 mm long and have a two pronged beak at their apex (Mackenzie 1931-1935, FNA 2002).

Habitat

Carex atherodes grows in "marshes, wet prairies and meadows, open swamps, wet, open thickets, open stream, pond, and lakeshores, ditches, often in water (to 60–80 cm deep)" (FNA 2002).

Palustrine Habitats

HERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDRiparian

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Michigan	SNR	Yes
Wyoming	S2	Yes
Ohio	S3	Yes
Indiana	S2	Yes
Montana	S4	Yes
North Dakota	SNR	Yes
Idaho	SNR	Yes
Virginia	S1	Yes
Pennsylvania	S1	Yes
Nevada	SU	Yes
Arizona	S2	Yes
Minnesota	SNR	Yes
Massachusetts	SNA	No
Alaska	S3	Yes
Illinois	S3	Yes
Oregon	S3	Yes
California	S3	Yes
New Mexico	SNR	Yes
West Virginia	S1	Yes
Colorado	S3	Yes
Utah	S1	Yes
Maine	S1	Yes
Washington	SNR	Yes
Nebraska	SNR	Yes
Vermont	S1	Yes
Missouri	SH	Yes
New York	S3	Yes
Iowa	S4	Yes
Kansas	SNR	Yes
Wisconsin	SNR	Yes
South Dakota	SNR	Yes
New Hampshire	SNA	No

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Yukon Territory	S4	Yes
Quebec	S2	Yes
Manitoba	S5	Yes
British Columbia	S5	Yes
Alberta	S5	Yes
Northwest Territories	S4	Yes
Ontario	S4	Yes
Saskatchewan	S4	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
Unknown/undetermined	—	—	—

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (5)

Montana (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bridger	Gallatin National Forest	45,059

Utah (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bunker Creek	Dixie National Forest	7,474

Washington (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Abercrombie - Hooknose	Colville National Forest	33,862
Mt. Bonaparte	Okanogan National Forest	10,891
Salmo - Priest B	Colville National Forest	11,869

References (7)

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.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
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.
NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
<p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).

Carex atherodes

Description

Habitat

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