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• Carex aurea

Carex aurea — golden-fruited sedge

Facts

Golden-fruited sedge is unique in having nearly spherical, bright orange perigynia, but the color does not show until the perigynia are fully mature and ready to be shed. The lowest bract of the carpellate spikes has a prolonged closed sheath usually longer than 4mm. This species is listed as threatened in New Hampshire.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), ridges or ledges, shores of rivers or lakes

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Bumps on fruit

  • the perigynium surface has papillae on it
  • there are no papillae on the perigynium surface

  Distance between perigynia

  0.5–1.5 mm

  Length of scale

  the scale is shorter than the perigynium

  Lowest spike length

  4–30 mm

  Lowest spike width

  3–5 mm

  Perigynium beak

  the perigynium has no beak, or an extremely short beak

  Perigynium beak length

  0–0.4 mm

  Perigynium beak orientation

  • NA
  • the beak of the perigynium is straight, and in line with the perigynium

  Perigynium beak serrations

  • NA
  • the perigynium beak has no serrations

  Perigynium beak teeth

  the perigynium beak is not divided at the tip into two teeth, or the teeth are very tiny

  Perigynium beak teeth length

  0 mm

  Perigynium color

  • orange to orange-brown
  • yellow

  Perigynium cross-section

  • the perigynium is biconvex (convexly rounded on both sides, like a lens) in cross-section
  • the perigynium is relatively round in cross-section

  Perigynium hairs

  the perigynium has no hairs

  Perigynium length

  2.3–3.2 mm

  Perigynium nerve number

  12–20

  Perigynium nerve texture

  • NA
  • the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium

  Perigynium nerves lower side

  6–10

  Perigynium nerves upper side

  6–10

  Perigynium orientation

  the perigynia are angled outwards

  Perigynium puffy

  the perigynium is inflated (there is space between the perigynium and the achene)

  Perigynium shape

  • the perigynium body is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
  • the perigynium body is orbicular (roughly circular, as wide as long)

  Perigynium width

  1.2–1.8 mm

  Perigynium winged

  the perigynium has no wings

  Pollen- and seed-producing spikes

  some of the spikes produce perigynia

  Pollen-producing spike length

  3–15 mm

  Pollen-producing spike number

  0–1

  Pollen-producing spike peduncle length

  At least 0 mm

  Pollen-producing spike width

  0.9–2 mm

  Scale awn

  The carpellate scale does not have an awn (it may have a short point)

  Scale awn texture

  NA

  Scale color

  brown

  Scale length

  1.2–2.5 mm

  Scale tip

  • the carpellate scale tip is acute (has a sharp point)
  • the carpellate scale tip is obtuse (has a blunt point)

  Spike on stalk

  the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle

  Spike orientation

  the spikes are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis

  Spikes per stem

  2-15

  Staminate scale tip

  • the staminate scale tip is acute (has a sharp point)
  • the staminate scale tip is obtuse (has a blunt point)

  Stigma branching

  the stigmas have two branches

  Top spike

  • the uppermost spike contains both staminate and carpellate flowers, with the staminate flowers located below the carpellate flowers
  • the uppermost spike contains only staminate flowers

• Fruits or seeds

  Achene dimples

  the achene has no folds or dimples

  Achene length

  1.4–1.8 mm

  Achene width

  1–1.5 mm

  Style persistence

  the style falls off the mature achenes

• Growth form

  Rhizomes

  there are long rhizomes present

• Leaves

  Leaf arrangement

  the leaves are all produced from the base of the plant

  Leaf blade cross-section

  The leaf blade is folded lengthwise, with one prominent midvien

  Leaf blade length to width ratio

  21–100

  Leaf blade texture

  the leaf blade is smooth and hairless, or rough and sandpapery

  Leaf blade width

  1.4–3 mm

  Leaf bumps

  the upper surface of the leaf blade does not have papillae

  Leaf sheath bumps

  there are no papillae at the top edge of the leaf sheath

  Leaf sheath color

  the leaf sheath has no pink, red or purple tinting

  Leaf sheath dots

  there are no dots on the leaf sheathes

  Leaf sheath folds

  there are no corrugations on the leaf sheath

  Leaf sheath texture

  the leaf sheath feels smooth, and has no hairs

  Lowest bract sheath

  the lowest bract has a sheath longer than four millimeters

  Lowest leaf blade width

  1.4–3 mm

  Lowest leaf sheath texture

  the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)

• Place

  Habitat

  • terrestrial
  • wetlands

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  • man-made or disturbed habitats
  • ridges or ledges
  • shores of rivers or lakes

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Plant height

  5–40 cm

  Relative stem height

  the main stem is equal to or shorter than the leaves

  Stem cross-section

  the main stem is roughly triangular in cross-section

  Stem spacing

  the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts

Wetland status

Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae