Carex siccata

This record is for Carex siccata as treated in FNA (2002, vol. 23) where it is treated as distinct from C. foenea. The authors state that the name Carex foenea has commonly been misapplied to C. siccata.

Carex siccata is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid found in a variety of open habitats, including oak, oak-pine, or pine forests and savannas, prairies, sand dunes, fields, rock outcrops, and alpine or subalpine meadows. It occurs commonly in western North America, becoming more localized in the easternmost portions of its range, known from Yukon and Northwest territories east to Quebec, Canada, south to New Jersey and West Virginia west to Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Arizona, and Washington in the United States. There are over 600 estimated occurrences, which face threats from development, solar development, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities, 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.

Carex siccata occurs commonly in western North America, becoming more localized in the easternmost portions of its range, known from Yukon and Northwest territories east to Quebec, Canada, south to New Jersey and West Virginia west to Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Arizona, and Washington in the United States (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Range extent was estimated to be over 10 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).

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 600 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).

Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by development, solar development, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities (especially off-road vehicles), 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.