Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Prickly Bog Sedge

Carex atlantica

Bailey

Prickly Bog Sedge

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.152310
Element CodePMCYP03180
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
Atlantic sedge (EN) Carex atlantique (FR) prickly bog 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 Date2024-06-26
Change Date1984-02-24
Edition Date2024-06-26
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Carex atlantica is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid with two subspecies in bogs, seeps, and a variety of forested wetlands occurring in eastern North America from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, Canada south to Florida west to Texas in the United States. Threats include development, hydrological alteration, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, recreational activities, succession, 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 atlantica occurs in eastern North America from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, Canada south to Florida west to Texas in the United States (FNA 2002). See individual entries for distribution details about the two subspecies. Range extent was estimated to be over 3.4 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, hydrological alteration, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, recreational activities, succession, invasive species, and other threats in some places.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Carex atlantica grows in bogs and seepages, acidic swamp forests, acid coniferous swamps, wet pinelands, wet, acidic soils, often in Sphagnum (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2023).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferWoodland - Mixed
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fen
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
Prince Edward IslandS1Yes
QuebecSNRYes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
OntarioS1Yes
New BrunswickS1Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
West VirginiaS4Yes
North CarolinaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
South CarolinaS4Yes
LouisianaS5Yes
OhioS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
IllinoisS2Yes
FloridaSNRYes
MississippiS5Yes
VermontS1Yes
MichiganSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
DelawareS4Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
MarylandS5Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
MaineSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
IndianaS3Yes
MissouriSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (3)
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Boggs CreekChattahoochee National Forest2,073
Cedar MountainChattahoochee National Forest1,083
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
References (7)
  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). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  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. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  7. 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.