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Carex L.

Sedge

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassLiliopsidaMonocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
SubclassCommelinidaeDayflowers and spiderworts, and several others
OrderCyperalesFlowering plants including grasses
FamilyCyperaceaeSedge family
GenusCarexThe “true” sedges

About plant names...

The Carex genus, part of the sedge family (Cyperaceae), comprises over 2000 species, many of which are very difficult to distinguish. Sedges resemble grasses and rushes, and have grasslike leaves. The stems of most sedges are angular, usually triangular, in cross section. The reproductive structures generally look quite striking, unlike most grasses and flowers. They may appear as long thin columns, or spiky "corncobs," or compact blobs with sharp-edged protuberances—even “cotton balls.” Their leaves tend to have zigzag or U-shaped cross sections. If you get really interested in sedges, you’ll need to master some specialized terminology, and you will find a hand lens or scanner to be of great value. I find them to be more fun to identify than many grasses.

Many of the Carex IDs presented on this site are uncertain at this stage. Those on this page are not yet identified.

Online References:

CalPhotos

Wikipedia

The USDA Plants Database

EFloras

References:

Arsenault, Matt; Mittelhauser, Glen H.; Cameron, Don; Dibble, Alison C.; Haines, Arthur; Rooney, Sally C.; and Weber, Jill E., Sedges of Maine: A Field Guide to Cyperaceae, University of Maine Press, 2013

Wilson, Barbara L.; Brainerd, Richard; Lytjen, Danna; Newhouse, Bruce; and Otting, Nick, of the Carex Working Group, Field Guide to the Sedges of the Pacific Northwest, Carex Working Group, 2008

Knobel, Edward, Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges and Rushes of the United States, Dover Publications Inc., 1980

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/30/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 14″ (23 × 35 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/2/2010 · J. Harry Rich State Forest, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts Species not yet identified

 

Carex description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

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Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

Sedge (Carex) · 4/28/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) Species not yet identified

Carex L. (sedge)

(Carex) · 6/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) Species not yet identified

Range:

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