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Carex diandra

Schrank

Lesser Panicled Sedge

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.156628
Element CodePMCYP033R0
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 diandre (FR) lesser panicled sedge (EN) Two-stamen 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 Date2025-07-08
Change Date1984-02-29
Edition Date2025-07-08
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 diandra is a perennial graminoid in a variety of open wetlands. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring in Eurasia, Atlantic Islands, Pacific Islands, and northern North America from Alaska, United States, throughout Canada, and south in the continental United States to Maryland west to Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, and California. There are thousands of occurrences worldwide, which face threats from development, grazing and trampling by cattle, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities, hydrological alteration, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Carex diandra has a circumboreal distribution, occurring in Eurasia, Atlantic Islands, Pacific Islands, and northern North America from Alaska, United States, throughout Canada, and south in the continental United States to Maryland west to Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, and California (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be over 200 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 cattle, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities (especially off-road vehicles), 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

Perennial tufted sedge with a short rhizome and obtuse-angled culms that are terete at the base. The leaves are gray-green and 1-2 mm in width, with brown-spotted sheaths. Heads are 3-4 cm long with 10 or more sessile spikes per head. The staminate flowers occur at the tip of the spike with the pistillate flowers at the base. The scales are light brown and acute; the perigynia are dark brown and broadly ovate and long-beaked.

Diagnostic Characteristics

From CNHP Wetland Guide 2012: Main Characteristics:
Front of leaf sheath with red or brown dots, especially near mouth
Perigynia: ovate or lance-ovate, tapering at apex, firm and thick-walled, glossy, short-stipitate, dark brown, 2-3 mm long, dorsal suture on ventral side
Pistillate scales ovate to oblong-ovate with an acute to cuspidate tip, brownish with pale midrib and wide hyaline margins
Beaks coarse, tapering, serrulate-margined

Habitat

Carex diandra grows in "swampy, marshy, or boggy areas, especially wet meadows, fens, muskegs, floating mats, and peaty or marly shores of lakes and ponds (often in shallow, sometimes brackish water), less often swales, springy thickets, ditches, and wet sandy beaches of nonalkaline lakes" at elevations ranging from 0 to 2,800 meters (FNA 2002).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceousSand/dune
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS5Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
New BrunswickS4Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS3Yes
AlbertaS5Yes
LabradorS3Yes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
QuebecS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
NunavutS2Yes
ManitobaS4Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
Yukon TerritoryS5Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OhioS1Yes
MontanaS4Yes
IllinoisS1Yes
North DakotaS3Yes
OregonS1Yes
New HampshireS2Yes
PennsylvaniaS2Yes
VermontS4Yes
IndianaS2Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
New JerseyS1Yes
MichiganSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
WyomingS2Yes
MassachusettsS1Yes
MaineSNRYes
AlaskaSNRYes
NebraskaS3Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
ColoradoS2Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
UtahS1Yes
IowaSHYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
MarylandS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownUnknownUnknown
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
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 (1)
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
Libby FlatsMedicine Bow-Routt National Forest11,107
References (8)
  1. Dodds, J.S. 2024. <i>Carex diandra</i> Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites, Forests & Natural Lands, Office of Natural Lands Management, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton, NJ. 17 pp. [https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/carex-diandra-lesser-panicled-sedge.pdf]
  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).