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Carex glaucodea

Tuckerman ex Olney

Flaccid Sedge

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.161738
Element CodePMCYP034S2
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyCyperaceae
GenusCarex
Synonyms
Carex flaccosperma var. glaucodea(Tuckerman ex Olney) Kukenth.
Other Common Names
Blue Sedge (EN) blue sedge (EN) Carex bleuâtre (FR)
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
FNA (2002, vol. 23) and Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team (2025) elevate varieties of Carex flaccosperma, treating C. flaccosperma var. glaucodea as C. glaucodea. In contrast, Kartesz (1994) recognizes a broader treatment, including C. flaccosperma var. glaucodea as a subspecies.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-08-14
Change Date1985-04-05
Edition Date2025-08-14
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Carex glaucodea is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid found in deciduous forests, upland woodlands, and seasonally moist prairies. It occurs in eastern North America from Ontario, Canada, and New Hampshire, United States, west to Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and south to North Carolina and Georgia west to Texas. There are over 550 estimated occurrences, which face threats from development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, 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, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Carex glaucodea occurs in eastern North America from Ontario, Canada, and New Hampshire, United States, west to Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and south to North Carolina and Georgia west to Texas (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Range extent was estimated to be approximately 1.9 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 550 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, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, 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, and affinity for typically abundant habitats.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

This sedge is a densely tufted grass-like plant with leaves covered with a white waxy covering (glaucous) and up to (5.1-)5.7-10.8 mm wide. Flowering/fruiting stalks (culms) are 10-50 cm tall and contain 3-6 elongated clusters of flowers/fruits (spikes) that are arranged along the culm. Fruits (perigynia) have many fine impressed longitudinal nerves (Naczi and Bryson 2002).

Habitat

Carex glaucodea grows in mesic to wet-mesic deciduous forests, upland woodlands, and seasonally moist prairies, usually in clays or loams and hydroxeric conditions, such as hardpans with alternating wet and dry periods (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). In New England, it is usually found in disturbed areas and within rich oak-hickory woodlands (Native Plant Trust 2025).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedForest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedSavannaGrassland/herbaceous
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New YorkS2Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
MassachusettsS1Yes
New HampshireS1Yes
VermontSHYes
VirginiaS4Yes
MissouriSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
IndianaS4Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
New JerseyS4Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
TexasSNRYes
North CarolinaS2Yes
West VirginiaS3Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
LouisianaSNRYes
MississippiS4Yes
DelawareS4Yes
ArkansasS5Yes
IllinoisS3Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
CanadaN1
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
4.1 - Roads & railroadsUnknownUnknownUnknown
4.2 - Utility & service linesUnknownUnknownUnknown
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3.5 - Motivation unknown/unrecordedUnknownUnknownUnknown
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 (3)
Arkansas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Devils CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,877
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Crawford MountainGeorge Washington National Forest9,892
References (9)
  1. 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.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  4. 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.
  5. Native Plant Trust. 2025. Go Botany website. Online. Available: https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org (accessed 2025).
  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).
  9. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).