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Carex deflexa

Hornem.

Northern Sedge

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.154116

Element CodePMCYP033L0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassMonocotyledoneae

OrderCyperales

FamilyCyperaceae

GenusCarex

Other Common Names

Bent Northern Sedge (EN) Bent Sedge (EN) Carex déprimé (FR) northern sedge (EN)

Concept Reference

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.

Taxonomic Comments

This record is for the broad treatment of Carex deflexa, including C. deflexa var. boottii (=C. brevipes) as recognized by Crins and Rettig in FNA (2002, vol. 23). Kartesz (1994, 1999) excluded C. brevipes, instead including it in C. rossii.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2024-07-09

Change Date1991-08-08

Edition Date2024-07-09

Edition AuthorsWilliams, C.L. (1990), rev. Soteropoulos (2024)

Threat ImpactUnknown

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

Carex deflexa is a widespread perennial graminoid in a variety of habitat types occurring in northern North America from Alaska, United States and Canada south to California, Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Connecticut and Greenland and St. Pierre and Miquelon with two varieties. Threats potentially include development, logging, 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.

Range Extent Comments

Carex deflexa occurs in northern North America from Alaska, United States and Canada south to California, Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Connecticut and Greenland and St. Pierre and Miquelon (FNA 2002). See individual entries for distribution details about the two varieties. Range extent was estimated to be over 17 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, logging, recreational activities, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Carex deflexa grows in open or shaded, dry to moist, sandy, gravelly, or rocky alpine meadows, mixed and coniferous forests or woodlands, talus slopes, ridges, rock outcrops, burns, clearings, fields, and snowbeds (FNA 2002).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldAlpineBare rock/talus/scree

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Nova Scotia	S5	Yes
Labrador	S4	Yes
Manitoba	S4	Yes
Saskatchewan	S4	Yes
Nunavut	SH	Yes
Prince Edward Island	S3	Yes
Ontario	S5	Yes
New Brunswick	S5	Yes
Quebec	SNR	Yes
Island of Newfoundland	S4	Yes
Northwest Territories	S4	Yes
British Columbia	S5	Yes
Yukon Territory	S4	Yes
Alberta	S3	Yes

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Massachusetts	S1	Yes
Utah	SNR	Yes
Colorado	S3	Yes
California	SNR	Yes
Wyoming	SNR	Yes
Minnesota	SNR	Yes
Connecticut	SNR	Yes
Idaho	SNR	Yes
Wisconsin	SNR	Yes
Oregon	SNR	Yes
Alaska	SNR	Yes
Michigan	SNR	Yes
Vermont	S4	Yes
New Hampshire	SNR	Yes
West Virginia	S2	Yes
Montana	SNR	Yes
Washington	SNR	Yes
Maine	SNR	Yes
New York	S3	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
Unknown/undetermined	—	—	—

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (3)

Oregon (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Echo Mountain	Willamette National Forest	8,098
North Paulina	Deschutes National Forest	19,670
South Paulina	Deschutes National Forest	9,074

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). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
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.
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).

Carex deflexa

Habitat

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