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Carex bella

Bailey

Elegant Sedge

G5Secure Found in 9 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.154334
Element CodePMCYP031N0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyCyperaceae
GenusCarex
Other Common Names
Southwestern Showy Sedge (EN) southwestern showy 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 Date2023-07-27
Change Date1988-12-15
Edition Date2023-07-27
Edition AuthorsEberly (2023)
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 bella is a perennial sedge occurring in the western United States and central Mexico. With a large range extent and hundreds of occurrences, this species is considered secure. Threats are unknown.
Range Extent Comments
Carex bella occurs in central Mexico (Nuevo Leon) and the western United States in montane and subalpine zones of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and the Black Hills of South Dakota (Johnson 2001, FNA 2002b, González-Elizondo et al. 2018). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens collected between 1992 and 2023 (GBIF 2023, SEINet 2023).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1992 and 2023, it is estimated that there are between 81 and 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, SEINet 2023). If this analysis is expanded to include data from 1982-1992, there are over 300 occurrences. It is suspected that this sedge is underreported in herbarium collections and through photo-based voucher systems, in part due to the perceived and real challenges of identifying sedges and because they can be difficult to identify using photographs. It is noted to be common in the appropriate habitat in central and southern Colorado (Johnson 2001).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs in moist subalpine meadows, forest floors or openings, streamsides, and clearcuts of forests, including spruce-fir and aspen forests, at elevations ranging from 2,800 to 3,900 meters (Johnson 2001, FNA 2002b, Heil et al. 2003, Rink and Licher 2015).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodForest - ConiferGrassland/herbaceous
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
ColoradoS4Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
NevadaSNRYes
UtahS3Yes
WyomingSHYes
South DakotaS1Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (9)
Colorado (1)
AreaForestAcres
San MiguelSan Juan NF64,263
New Mexico (5)
AreaForestAcres
Canada Bonito RNASanta Fe National Forest487
Columbine - Hondo Wilderness Study AreaCarson National Forest43,739
Guaje CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,104
PecosCarson National Forest13,436
Wheeler Peak WildernessCarson National Forest2,677
Utah (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bullion - DelanoFishlake National Forest14,917
Horse Mountain - Mans PeakManti-Lasal National Forest22,159
Tushar MountainFishlake National Forest39,992
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). 2023. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2023).
  3. González-Elizondo, M.S., Reznicek, A.A., and Tena-Flores, J.A. 2018. Cyperaceae in Mexico: Diversity and distribution. Botanical Sciences 96(2): 305-331. Online. Available: https://doi.org/10.17129/botsci.1870 (accessed 2022).
  4. Heil, K.D, S.L. O'Kane Jr., L.M. Reeves, and A. Clifford. 2013. Flora of the Four Corners Region. Vascular Plants of the San Juan River Drainage: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Monographs in systematic botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden, Vol. 124, Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, MO. xvi + 1098 pp.
  5. iNaturalist. 2023. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2023).
  6. Johnston, B.C. 2001. Field guide to sedge species of the Rocky Mountain Region: The genus<i> Carex </i>in Colorado, Wyoming, western South Dakota, western Nebraska, and western Kansas. Renewable Resources R2-RR-01-03. Denver, CO: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. 290 pp.
  7. 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.
  8. Rink, G., and M. Licher. 2015. Vascular Plants of Arizona: Cyperaceae Sedge Family Part 1: Family Description, Key to the Genera, and <i>Carex</i> L. Canotia 11: 1-97.
  9. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2023. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2023).