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Carex pauciflora

Lightf.

Few-flower Sedge

G5Secure Found in 30 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.154231
Element CodePMCYP03A50
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 pauciflore (FR) Few-flowered Sedge (EN) fewflower 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 Date2025-08-12
Change Date1984-02-29
Edition Date2025-08-12
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Carex pauciflora is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid found in sphagnum bogs and acidic peat with a circumboreal distribution. It occurs in North America from Alaska, United States, and throughout Canada (except Nunavut), south to Washington, Minnesota east to New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia; it also occurs in northern Eurasia. There are thousands of occurrences worldwide, which face threats from development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, 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, and abundant habitat, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Carex pauciflora has a circumboreal distribution, occurring North America from Alaska, United States, and throughout Canada (except Nunavut), south to Washington, Minnesota east to New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia; it also occurs in northern Eurasia (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be over 50 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 thousands of 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, recreational activities, 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 and large number of occurrences.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A small sedge with obtusely triangular culms up to 2.5 dm tall; narrow, involute, ascending leaves; and a solitary gynandrous flowering spike.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Spike borne singly on culm, bisexual, pistillate basally, staminate at the summit. Achenes trigonous, stigmas 3. Perigynia elliptic or oblong to globose, ascending.
n=23, 38. Periginia propelled 1-2 feet by compression of a spongy base and sudden loosening of the attachment at the absicission layer.

Habitat

Carex pauciflora grows in "sphagnum bogs and acidic peat (damp mossy tundra, dryish heaths, alpine quagmires, [and] moist forests), usually on open mats, [but] also in partial shade of conifers" (FNA 2002).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - ConiferWoodland - ConiferAlpineTundra
Palustrine Habitats
Bog/fen
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
AlaskaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS1Yes
IndianaSXYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
West VirginiaS1Yes
WashingtonS2Yes
MaineSNRYes
MassachusettsS1Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
ConnecticutSHYes
New YorkS5Yes
VermontS4Yes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS5Yes
Northwest TerritoriesSUYes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
Yukon TerritorySHYes
OntarioS5Yes
LabradorS4Yes
Prince Edward IslandS1Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
ManitobaS3Yes
AlbertaS4Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
New BrunswickS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3.5 - Motivation unknown/unrecordedUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
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 (30)
Alaska (26)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
East MitkofTongass National Forest8,795
Green RocksTongass National Forest11,093
HardingTongass National Forest174,349
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
KartaTongass National Forest52,117
KekuTongass National Forest10,869
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
LindenbergTongass National Forest25,855
ManzanitaTongass National Forest8,401
North ClevelandTongass National Forest105,288
North RevillaTongass National Forest215,430
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
RhineTongass National Forest23,010
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Sitka SoundTongass National Forest13,459
Soda BayTongass National Forest78,091
South KruzofTongass National Forest55,193
Taku-SnettishamTongass National Forest664,928
TwelvemileTongass National Forest37,940
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Minnesota (2)
AreaForestAcres
Hegman LakesSuperior National Forest675
Phantom LakeSuperior National Forest6,521
Washington (2)
AreaForestAcres
Boulder RiverMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest32,563
Mt. Baker WestMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest25,390
References (18)
  1. Allard, H.A. 1951. <i>Carex pauciflora</i> in West Virginia. Castanea 16(4): 145.
  2. Bright, J. 1925-1930. The Genus <i>Carex </i>in Pennsylvania. Trillia 9:1-33.
  3. Britton, N. L. and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. 3 vol. Dover Publications, Inc., N. Y. 2052 pp.
  4. Fernald, M.L. 1950 Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th ed. American Book Company, New York. 1632 pp.
  5. 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.
  6. Gleason, H.A. 1952. The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 3 volumes. Hafner Press, New York. 1732 pp.
  7. Gleason, H.A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp.
  8. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  9. Hermann, F. J. 1941. The genus <i>Carex </i>in Michigan. American Midland Naturalist 25(1):1-72.
  10. Hutton, E.E. 1976. Dissemination of perigynia in <i>Carex pauciflora</i>. Castanea 41:346-348.
  11. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  12. 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.
  13. Lightfoot, J. 1777. Flora Scotica: or a systematic arrangement, in the Linnaean method, of the native plants of Scotland and the Hebrides. London (printed for B. White). 2 vols. Oct. (Fl Scot.).
  14. Mackenzie, K.K. 1935. Cyperaceae. In: N. L. Britton et al., eds. North American Flora.
  15. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  16. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  17. Rossbach, G.B. 1963. Distributional and taxonomic notes on some plants collected in West Virginia and nearby states. Castanea 28:10-38.
  18. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).