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Carex lutea

LeBlond

Golden Sedge

G2Imperiled Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G2ImperiledGlobal Rank

HighThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.147501

Element CodePMCYP03K00

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassMonocotyledoneae

OrderCyperales

FamilyCyperaceae

GenusCarex

Other Common Names

Sulphur Sedge (EN) sulphur sedge (EN)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2021-09-10

Change Date2006-12-11

Edition Date2021-09-10

Edition AuthorsAmoroso, J.L. (1996); Maybury, K. (1997), rev. A. Olivero (2003), rev. NCHP (2004-2005), rev. L. Oliver (2021)

Threat ImpactHigh

Range Extent5000-20,000 square km (about 2000-8000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences6 - 20

Rank Reasons

Carex lutea was described in 1994 from a small area in southeastern North Carolina. It occurs on lime-rich soils in the ecotone between longleaf pine savannas and non-riverine swamp forests, where fire has suppressed shrub dominance (Flora North America 2002). The species' habitat is highly localized and rare (USFWS 2002). There are a number of primary threats to this species, including fire suppression which allows tree and shrub encroachment, residential development and invasive species (USFWS 2014).

Range Extent Comments

Known occurrences are in Pender and Onslow Counties, NC in the Northeast Cape Fear River watershed. This species has also been discovered in the Panhandle in Florida and in Francis Marion National Forest, South Carolina as of 2021.

Occurrences Comments

Ten known North Carolina sites, one in South Carolina, and a few in Florida.

Threat Impact Comments

Carex lutea is threatened by fire suppression and resulting ecological succession that allows canopy and shrub encroachment, residential development in the counties in North Carolina, intensive right-of-way maintenance with herbicides, clay mining, drainage activities associated with timber harvest operations and agriculture, and trash dumping (USFWS 2014).

Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Distinguished from other Carex species in the same locale and habitat by the outcurved perigynia beaks, the lowermost of which is strongly recurved, and to a lesser extent also by its height (culms can reach over 1 ml), slenderness, and bright yellowish green color (LeBlond et al. 1994). Also, see FNA (2002) for a key to the sections of Carex: within sections Ceratocystis and closely related sect. Spirostachya, this is the only species to occur in Coastal Plain savannahs of North Carolina.

Habitat

Wet savannahs with sandy soils underlain by coquina limestone. This somewhat open, calcareous habitat is highly unusual on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. It prefers an open or sparse open canopy with little shrub layer (USFWS 2014). Associates include other rare plants such as Cooley's meadowrue (Thalictrum cooleyi), pineland plantain (Plantago sparsiflora), and Thorne's beakrush (Rhynchospora thornei). Carex lutea plants occur mostly in the somewhat shaded ecotone between savannah and swamp. It can also be found in fire suppressed forests with closed canopies, however, it is typically less vigorous there because of the lack of light (USFWS 2014).

Ecology

This species requires fire which reduces canopy coverage and competition with other species (USFWS 2014).

Palustrine Habitats

HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLAND

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN2

Province	Rank	Native
Florida	S2	Yes
South Carolina	S1	Yes
North Carolina	S2	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Restricted (11-30%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
3 - Energy production & mining	Restricted (11-30%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarrying	Restricted (11-30%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridors	Large - restricted	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
4.2 - Utility & service lines	Large - restricted	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
7 - Natural system modifications	Pervasive - large	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppression	Pervasive - large	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/use	Pervasive - large	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Pervasive (71-100%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Pervasive (71-100%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
9 - Pollution	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluents	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (1)

South Carolina (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Wambaw Ext	Francis Marion National Forest	527

References (9)

Amoroso, Jame. Personal communication. Botanist. North Carolina Heritage Program, NC Dept. of Environment, Health, & Natural Resources, Division of Parks And Recreation, Raleigh, NC.
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.
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
LeBlond, R.J., A.S. Weakley, A.A. Reznicek, and W.J. Crins. 1994. Carex lutea (Cyperaceae), a rare new coastal plain endemic from North Carolina. Sida 16(1): 153-161.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2014. Recovery plan for Golden Sedge (Carex lutea). Atlanta, Georgia. 48pp. Accessed online on 9/10/2021 at: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/20140507%20Carex%20lutea%20Recovery%20Plan%20Final.pdf
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 10 March 2010. Designation of critical habitat for Carex lutea (Golden Sedge). Federal Register 75 (46): 11080-11096.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2002. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; Endangered status for Carex lutea (golden sedge). Federal Register 67(15) (January 23): 3120-3126.
Weakley, A.S. 1996. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia: working draft of 23 May 1996. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Southern Conservation Science Dept., Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Unpaginated.
Weakley, A.S. 2002. July 19-last update. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia: working draft of July 19, 2002. University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Online. Available: http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/weakley_flora/default.htm. Accessed 2003, April 11.

Carex lutea

Diagnostic Characteristics

Habitat

Ecology

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