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Carex lasiocarpa

Ehrh.

Slender Sedge

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.141058
Element CodePMCYP03720
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 à fruits tomenteux (FR) Wiregrass Sedge (EN) Woolly-fruit Sedge (EN) woollyfruit 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.
Taxonomic Comments
North American plants are all treated as var. americana by Kartesz (1994 and 1999), with var. lasiocarpa being Eurasian only.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-07-10
Change Date1984-02-29
Edition Date2025-07-10
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 lasiocarpa is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid in a variety of wetland habitats, including sedge meadows, fens, bogs, lakeshores, and stream banks. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring in Eurasia and North America from Alaska, United States and throughout Canada (except Nunavut) and south in the continental United States to western North Carolina, the Great Lakes region, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado west to California, and south to Baja California, Mexico. There are thousands of occurrences, which face threats from development, grazing and trampling by livestock, 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, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Carex lasiocarpa has a circumboreal distribution, occurring in Eurasia and North America from Alaska, United States and throughout Canada (except Nunavut) and south in the continental United States to western North Carolina, the Great Lakes region, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado west to California, and south to Baja California, Mexico (FNA 2002, Baja Flora 2025, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Range extent was estimated to be over 75 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).
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, grazing and trampling by livestock, 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 and large number of occurrences.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

From CNHP Wetland Guide 2012: Habit: stems arising singly from long, creeping rhizomes. Culms: obtusely triangular, red at base, 3-12 dm tall, aphyllopodic. Leaves: 2-5, borne above base. Blades: inrolled, light green, 1-1.5 mm wide. Sheaths: yellowish brown tinged, concave at mouth, lower sheaths long, breaking and becoming strongly cross-filamentose. Bracts: sheathless, equaling or exceeding inflorescence. Spikes: 2-5, Terminal spike staminate, lowest spike pistillate, upper and lower spikes different, perigynia ascending. Pistillate Scales: lanecolate to ovate-lanceolate, somewhat ciliate at the tip, purplish brown with a broad 3-nerved green or pale center, dull hyaline margins, narrower than perigynia, mucronate-awned exceeding perigynia. Perigynia: ovate to ovoid-or ellipsoid, inflated, round-tapering at base, contracted at apex, short hairy, soft, dull brown to green, 2.8-5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide. Nerves: numerous. Beaks: shallowly bidentate. Stigmas: 3

Diagnostic Characteristics

From CNHP Wetland Guide 2012: Main Characteristics:
Pubescent or woolly [lasio] perigynia
Leaf sheaths yellowish brown tinged, concave at mouth, lower sheaths long, breaking and becoming strongly cross-filamentose
Leaves very narrow (2 mm or less) and involute
Beaks shallowly bidentate

Habitat

Carex lasiocarpa grows in "sedge meadows, fens, bogs, lakeshores, stream banks, usually in very wet sites and sometimes forming floating mats" (FNA 2002).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
WyomingS2Yes
West VirginiaS2Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
AlaskaSNRYes
IllinoisS3Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
New JerseySNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
ColoradoS2Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
VirginiaS1Yes
IdahoSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
MissouriS1Yes
MarylandS1Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
OhioS3Yes
North DakotaS3Yes
MontanaS4Yes
CaliforniaS2Yes
IowaS2Yes
DelawareSNRYes
UtahSNRYes
OregonSNRYes
North CarolinaS1Yes
IndianaS3Yes
MaineSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
Northwest TerritoriesS3Yes
AlbertaS4Yes
LabradorS1Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
OntarioS5Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
Yukon TerritoryS4Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS5Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS3Yes
QuebecSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownUnknownUnknown
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.2 - Dams & water management/useUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Baker - Homer - Brule LakesSuperior National Forest6,712
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Lincoln GulchHelena National Forest8,250
Oregon (1)
AreaForestAcres
Lake ForkWallowa-Whitman National Forest21,936
Washington (2)
AreaForestAcres
Long SwampOkanogan National Forest66,344
Pasayten RimOkanogan National Forest17,074
References (9)
  1. Baja Flora. 2025. The Flora of Baja California. San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA. Online. Available: http://BajaFlora.org (accessed 2025).
  2. 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.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  4. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  5. 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.
  6. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  9. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).