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Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Carex glaucodea — blue sedge

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Facts

Blue sedge is an eastern sedge of disturbed, open soil, meadows and wetland borders, and in oak-hickory woodlands. In New England it is very rare, with a few populations known from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, wetland margins (edges of wetlands), woodlands

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
  • terrestrial
  • wetlands
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Vermont
Leaf blade width
5.1–10.8 mm
Lowest bract sheath
the lowest bract has a sheath longer than four millimeters
Spike on stalk
the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle
Top spike
the uppermost spike contains only staminate flowers
Perigynium hairs
the perigynium has no hairs
Perigynium length
3.2–4.1 mm
Leaf sheath color
the leaf sheath has no pink, red or purple tinting
Leaf blade texture
the leaf blade is smooth and hairless, or rough and sandpapery
Perigynium beak teeth
the perigynium beak is not divided at the tip into two teeth, or the teeth are very tiny
Show all characteristics
  • Flowers

    Anther length
    1.8–3.6 mm
    Bumps on fruit
    there are no papillae on the perigynium surface
    Length of scale
    the scale is shorter than the perigynium
    Lowest spike length
    9–41 mm
    Lowest spike width
    4.1–7.3 mm
    Perigynium beak
    • the perigynium has a beak
    • the perigynium has no beak, or an extremely short beak
    Perigynium beak length
    0–0.3 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
    • brown
    • yellow
    Perigynium cross-section
    the perigynium is trigonous (triangular) in cross-section
    Perigynium hairs
    the perigynium has no hairs
    Perigynium length
    3.2–4.1 mm
    Perigynium nerve number
    42–54
    Perigynium nerve texture
    the nerves on the perigynium are flat or concave after drying
    Perigynium nerves lower side
    21–27
    Perigynium nerves upper side
    21–27
    Perigynium orientation
    the perigynia are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis or adjacent perigynia
    Perigynium puffy
    the perigynium is inflated (there is space between the perigynium and the achene)
    Perigynium shape
    • the perigynium body is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
    • the perigynium body is ovate (egg-shaped)
    Perigynium width
    1.5–2.5 mm
    Perigynium winged
    the perigynium has no wings
    Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
    some of the spikes produce perigynia
    Pollen-producing spike length
    7–35 mm
    Pollen-producing spike number
    1
    Pollen-producing spike peduncle length
    0.5–31 mm
    Pollen-producing spike width
    1.3–3.6 mm
    Scale awn
    • The carpellate scale does not have an awn (it may have a short point)
    • the carpellate scale has an awn on it
    Scale awn texture
    the carpellate scale awn has tiny teeth
    Scale color
    white or translucent
    Scale length
    1.6–3.7 mm
    Scale tip
    the carpellate scale tip is acute (has a sharp 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
    Stigma branching
    the stigmas have three branches
    Top spike
    the uppermost spike contains only staminate flowers
  • Fruits or seeds

    Achene dimples
    the achene has no folds or dimples
    Achene length
    2.4–3 mm
    Achene width
    1.3–1.7 mm
    Style persistence
    the style falls off the mature achenes
  • Leaves

    Leaf arrangement
    • the leaves are all produced from the base of the plant
    • the leaves are mostly produced higher up on the plant
    Leaf blade cross-section
    the leaf blade is flat or M-shaped, with two prominent side-veins
    Leaf blade texture
    the leaf blade is smooth and hairless, or rough and sandpapery
    Leaf blade width
    5.1–10.8 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
    Ligule length
    5.2–10 mm
    Lowest bract sheath
    the lowest bract has a sheath longer than four millimeters
    Lowest leaf blade width
    5.1–10.8 mm
    Lowest leaf sheath texture
    the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
  • Place

    Habitat
    • terrestrial
    • wetlands
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • edges of wetlands
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields
    • woodlands
  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Plant height
    10–50 cm
    Relative stem height
    the main stem is taller 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

Occurs in wetlands or non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FAC)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
absent
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Connecticut
uncommon (uncertain) (S-rank: S3?)
Massachusetts
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
New Hampshire
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
Vermont
historical (S-rank: SH)

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

79.  Carex glaucodea Tuckerman ex Olney NC

blue sedge. Carex flaccosperma Dewey var. glaucodea (Tuckerman ex Olney) Kükenth. • CT, MA, NH, VT. Meadows, disturbed open soil, wetland borders, and woodlands, occurrences in non-human-disturbed communities are frequently within rich, oak-hickory woodlands on trap rock.

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Carex conoidea

Synonyms

  • Carex flaccosperma Dewey var. glaucodea (Tuckerman ex Olney) Kükenth.

Family

Cyperaceae

Genus

Carex