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Carex fraseriana

Ker-Gawl.

Fraser's Sedge

G4Apparently Secure Found in 26 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Fraser's Sedge (Carex fraseriana). Photo by Jared Gorrell, CC BY-NC 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Jared Gorrell, CC BY-NC 4.0
Fraser's Sedge (Carex fraseriana). Photo by Zach Irick, CC BY-NC 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Zach Irick, CC BY-NC 4.0
Fraser's Sedge (Carex fraseriana). Photo by Scott Ward, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Scott Ward, CC BY 4.0
Fraser's Sedge (Carex fraseriana). Photo by Alaina Krakowiak, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Alaina Krakowiak, CC BY 4.0
Fraser's Sedge (Carex fraseriana). Photo by Alaina Krakowiak, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Alaina Krakowiak, CC BY 4.0
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.132339
Element CodePMCYP05020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyCyperaceae
GenusCarex
Synonyms
Carex fraseriAndr.Cymophyllus fraseri(Andrz.) MackenzieCymophyllus fraseriana(Andr.) MackenzieCymophyllus fraserianus(Ker-Gawl.) Kartesz & Gandhi
Other Common Names
Fraser's cymophyllus (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
The Global Carex Group (2015) justified a broader application of Carex that subsumed several genera previously segregated from Carex including Cymophyllus. It was treated as Carex fraseri or Cymophyllus fraseri in some floras. However, Kartesz and Gandhi (1991) have shown that the name Carex fraseriana was published for this slightly sooner, and therefore has nomenclatural priority; they considered this species to belong to the segregate genus Cymophyllus, and provided the new name Cymophyllus fraserianus for that taxonomic placement.
Conservation Status
Review Date1984-11-05
Change Date1984-11-05
Range Extent Comments
Carex fraseriana occurs in the eastern United States where it is found in the Southern and Central Appalachian Mounts from southern Pennsylvania and western Maryland south to northwestern South Carolina and northern Georgia (Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Cymophyllus fraserianus is threatened by the loss of quality forested habitat to development in the region, as it reacts poorly to the radical alteration of forest conditions. Poor dispersal mechanisms prevent widespread distribution, and grazing also limits this species (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species grows on rich, shaded, often acidic, and typically rocky, slopes and banks of deciduous, mixed, or hemlock dominated forests (FNA 2002, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - ConiferForest - Mixed
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
KentuckyS1Yes
MarylandS1Yes
TennesseeS3Yes
West VirginiaS3Yes
GeorgiaS1Yes
VirginiaS3Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
PennsylvaniaS1Yes
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (26)
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Joe GapChattahoochee National Forest5,321
North Carolina (7)
AreaForestAcres
Boteler PeakNantahala National Forest4,205
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Lost CovePisgah National Forest5,944
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Wilson CreekPisgah National Forest4,863
Tennessee (6)
AreaForestAcres
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
London Bridge BranchCherokee National Forest3,387
Rogers RidgeCherokee National Forest4,738
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
West Virginia (10)
AreaForestAcres
Cheat MountainMonongahela National Forest8,191
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Gauley MountainMonongahela National Forest13,285
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Marlin MountainMonongahela National Forest9,344
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Tea Creek MountainMonongahela National Forest8,295
Turkey MountainMonongahela National Forest6,421
References (12)
  1. Clarkson, R. B. 1961. Fraser's sedge, <i>Cymophyllus fraseri</i> (Andrews) Mackenzie. Castanea 26(4):129.
  2. Fernald, M.L. 1950 Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th ed. American Book Company, New York. 1632 pp.
  3. 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.
  4. Gleason, H.A. 1952. The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 3 volumes. Hafner Press, New York. 1732 pp.
  5. Global Carex Group. 2015. Making <i>Carex </i>monophyletic (Cyperaceae, tribe Cariceae): a new broader circumscription. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 179: 1–42.
  6. Kartesz, J. and K. Gandhi. 1991. Cymophyllus fraseriana (Ker-Gawler) Kartesz & Gandhi (Cyperaceae), the correct name for Fraser's sedge. Rhodora 93(874): 136-140.
  7. 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.
  8. Mackenzie, K.K. 1935. Cyperaceae. In: N. L. Britton et al., eds. North American Flora.
  9. Mackenzie, K.K. 1940. North American Cariceae. In Rickett, H. W. (ed.) ???. The New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY. Lancaster Press, Lancaster, PA.
  10. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  11. Thomas, W. W. 1984. Notes and News. Castanea 49:94-95.
  12. 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.