Home/Species/ Drooping Sedge

Carex prasina

Wahlenb.

Drooping Sedge

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.133041

Element CodePMCYP03B10

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 vert poireau (FR) drooping 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 Date2024-07-03

Change Date2024-07-03

Edition Date2024-07-03

Edition AuthorsGORDON, K.L. (1987), rev. Soteropoulos (2024)

Threat ImpactUnknown

Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

Carex prasina is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid in a variety of wooded wetlands occurring in eastern North America from Quebec and Ontario, Canada and Wisconsin, United States south to Georgia, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, recreational activities, 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 prasina occurs in eastern North America from Quebec and Ontario, Canada and Wisconsin, United States south to Georgia, Mississippi, and Arkansas (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be over 2.2 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, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, recreational activities, invasive species, and other threats in some places.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Carex prasina grows in "rich, mesic deciduous forests, often along streams or in seepage areas, or in moist low ground associated with springs or fens" (FNA 2002).

Palustrine Habitats

FORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Tennessee	SNR	Yes
Alabama	SNR	Yes
Rhode Island	SNR	Yes
New Jersey	S4	Yes
Ohio	SNR	Yes
Kentucky	S5	Yes
District of Columbia	SNR	Yes
South Carolina	S2	Yes
Michigan	SNR	Yes
Connecticut	SNR	Yes
Illinois	S2	Yes
Iowa	S1	Yes
Delaware	S4	Yes
Maryland	SNR	Yes
Mississippi	S1	Yes
Maine	SNR	Yes
Arkansas	SH	Yes
Georgia	S3	Yes
Pennsylvania	S5	Yes
Vermont	S4	Yes
West Virginia	S4	Yes
Massachusetts	SNR	Yes
North Carolina	S3	Yes
Missouri	S1	Yes
New York	S5	Yes
Virginia	S4	Yes
Wisconsin	S3	Yes
New Hampshire	SNR	Yes
Indiana	S4	Yes

CanadaN4

Province	Rank	Native
Quebec	S3	Yes
Ontario	S4	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
Unknown/undetermined	—	—	—

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (1)

West Virginia (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Mcgowan Mountain	Monongahela National Forest	10,504

References (6)

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.
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 prasina

Habitat

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