Carex amphibola

Steud.

Eastern Narrowleaf Sedge

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.147647
Element CodePMCYP030L0
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
Carex amphibole (FR) eastern narrowleaf 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.
Taxonomic Comments
As treated by Kartesz in the 1999 Synthesis, excludes Carex grisea (sometimes treated as C. amphibola var. turgida), C. bulbostylis (sometimes treated as C. amphibola var. globosa), and Carex corrugata. The variety rigida is questionably synonymized into C. amphibola by Kartesz (1999), leaving no recognized varieties in this species as treated by him. LEM 17Jun99.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2016-07-21
Change Date1985-04-05
Edition Date2021-02-04
Edition AuthorsTreher (2021)
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 amphibola is a wide ranging perennial sedge occurring throughout eastern North America in Canada and the United States. It is a habitat generalist with hundreds or even thousands of occurrences throughout the core of its range.
Range Extent Comments
Carex amphibola is a wide ranging sedge of eastern North America, including Canada and the United States, that occurs from Massachusetts and Connecticut west to New York, Ontario, Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri south to Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

This sedge is a densely tufted grass-like plant with leaves 4.4-7 (occasionally as small as 3.7) mm wide. It has thin flowering/fruiting stalks (culms) that are 15-80 cm tall. 4-5 (occasionally as few as 3) elongated clusters of flowers/fruits (spikes) are distributed along the culm. The upper most one is entirely staminate while the others are pistillate (Naczi and Bryson 2002).

Habitat

Carex amphibola occurs is a generalist of mesic deciduous forests. It grows in riparian areas (floodplains, slopes above streams) and uplands (FNA
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/Woodland
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
MississippiS4Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
New YorkS4Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
KansasSNRYes
IllinoisS3Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
MichiganSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
ArkansasS5Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
NebraskaSNRYes
North CarolinaS4Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
South CarolinaS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
DelawareS4Yes
IndianaS4Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
CanadaN2
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS2Yes
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Wambaw ExtFrancis Marion National Forest527
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Glady ForkMonongahela National Forest3,239
References (2)
  1. 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.
  2. Native Plant Trust. 2021. Go Botany website. Online. Available: https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org (accessed 2021).