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Carex chordorrhiza

Ehrh. ex L. f.

Creeping Sedge

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.154118
Element CodePMCYP032U0
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 longs stolons (FR) Cordroot Sedge (EN) creeping sedge (EN) Prostrate Sedge (EN) Rope-root 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 Date2025-06-30
Change Date1984-02-24
Edition Date2025-06-30
Edition AuthorsGRIES, D (1998), rev. Soteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Carex chordorrhiza is a perennial graminoid in a variety of open wetland habitats with a circumboreal distribution, principally of boreal and subarctic regions. It occurs in northern North America from Alaska, United States and throughout Canada, extending south to Massachusetts, New York, the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest states, and in Eurasia. There are over 1,500 occurrences estimated, which face threats from development, grazing, rights-of-way maintenance, hydrological alteration, invasive species, and other threats in some places. 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 chordorrhiza has a circumboreal distribution, principally of boreal and subarctic regions, occurring in northern North America from Alaska, United States and throughout Canada, extending south to Massachusetts, New York, the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest states, and in Eurasia (FNA 2002). In Oregon, "collections represent occurrences in commercial cranberry bogs and are presumably introductions" (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be over 55 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 over 1,500 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, 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, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Creeping Sedge is a perennial grass-like plant with a single or several stems, 1-3 dm tall, which arise from creeping rhizomes. Old stems become elongate and prostrate. 1-3 leaves, 1-5 cm long, occur at the base of fertile stems. Non-flowering stems have longer leaves. Flowers are borne in 3-8 small, aggregated clusters (spikes) at the stem tips. Each spike has male flowers above and 1-5 female flowers (perigynia) below. The many-nerved perigynia are egg-shaped and 2.5-3.5 mm long. The scales are broadly egg-shaped and the same length as the perigynia that they subtend. There are 2 styles, and the seed (achene) is lens-shaped.

Diagnostic Characteristics

The strict peatland habitat and small heads help distinguish this species. CAREX SIMULATA also occurs in mires but has smaller perigynia with more than 5 per spike. A hand lens and technical manual should be used for positive identification.

Habitat

Carex chordorrhiza grows in "fens, bogs, floating mats on lakeshores, emergent sedge marshes, usually in very wet sites, often in shallow water," and it can "form extensive stands and be a dominant species in some boreal wetlands" (FNA 2002).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDBog/fen
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaS4Yes
LabradorS3Yes
QuebecS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS2Yes
Nova ScotiaS2Yes
NunavutS4Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS4Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS1Yes
New BrunswickS4Yes
Yukon TerritoryS5Yes
AlbertaS5Yes
SaskatchewanS3Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
VermontS1Yes
MontanaS3Yes
MichiganSNRYes
WashingtonS1Yes
PennsylvaniaSXYes
IowaS1Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
MassachusettsS1Yes
IndianaS1Yes
AlaskaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
IllinoisS1Yes
IdahoS2Yes
OregonSNANo
MaineSNRYes
North DakotaS1Yes
New YorkS3Yes
New HampshireS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (3)
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Hegman LakesSuperior National Forest675
Washington (2)
AreaForestAcres
Long SwampOkanogan National Forest66,344
Pasayten RimOkanogan National Forest17,074
References (23)
  1. Bernard, J.M. 1990. Life history and vegetative reproduction in Carex. Can. J. Bot. 68: 1441-1448.
  2. Bowles, M. L., et al. 1986. Endangered plant inventory and monitoring strategies at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Nat. Areas J. 6(1):18-26.
  3. Bowles, M. L., M. M. DeMauro, N. Pavlovic, and R. D. Hiebert. 1990. Effects of anthropogenic disturbances on endangered and threatened plants at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Natural Areas Journal 10(4): 187-200.
  4. Bowles, M.L., W.J. Hess, and M.M. DeMauro. 1985. An assessment of the monitoring program for special floristic elements at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores. Phase II: Threatened and special concern species. Unpublished report for the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.
  5. Bradley, A.F. 1990. Glacier Park rare plants in Fire Effects data base. Unpublished paper. Not paged.
  6. Bursik, R. 1988. Rare plant data from specimens at the University of Idaho Herbarium, Moscow.
  7. Ebersole, J. L. 1987. Short-term vegetation recovery at an Alaskan arctic coastal plain site. Arctic and Alpine Research 19(4): 442-450.
  8. Fernald, M. L. 1919. Lithological factors limiting the ranges of <i>Pinus banksiana</i> and <i>Thuja occidentalis.</i> Rhodora 21(243): 41-67.
  9. 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.
  10. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  11. Haag, R. W. 1974. Nutrient limitations to plant production in two tundra communities. Canadian Journal of Botany 52: 103-116.
  12. Hutchings, M. J. 1979. Weight density relationships in ramet populations of clonal perennial herbs with special reference to the -3/2 power law. Journal of Ecology 67(1):21-33.
  13. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  14. Jankovska, V., and K. Rybnicek. 1988. The genus <i>Carex </i>in the Late Glacial and Holocene of Czechoslovakia. Aquatic Botany 30: 23-37.
  15. 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.
  16. Kershaw, K. A. 1974. Studies on lichen-dominated systems. X. The sedge meadows of the coastal raised beaches. Canadian Journal of Botany 52: 1947-1972.
  17. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  18. Nicholson, B. J., and D. H. Vitt. 1990. The paleoecology of a peatland complex in continental western Canada. Canadian Journal of Botany. 68(1): 121-138.
  19. Page, S. E., and J. O. Rieley. 1985. The ecology and distribution of <i>Carex chordorrhiza</i> L. fil. Watsonia 15: 253-259.
  20. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  21. Schuyler, A. E. 1980. <i>Carex chordorrhiza</i> in Glacier National Park, Montana. Rhodora 82: 519.
  22. Slack, N.D., D.H. Vitt and D.G. Horton. 1980. Vegetation gradients of minerotrophically rich fens in western Alberta. Can. J. Bot. 58:330-350.
  23. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).