Carex paleacea — chaffy sedge
![Inflorescence: Carex paleacea. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-paleacea-in-ahaines.jpg)
![Inflorescence: Carex paleacea. ~ By Marilee Lovit. ~ Copyright © 2024 Marilee Lovit. ~ lovitm[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-paleacea-in-mlovit-a.jpg)
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Facts
Chaffy sedge is a salt marsh sedge of the central to northern New England coast, and the eastern and northern coasts of Canada. It forms colonies from long, rope-like rhizomes. It occasionally forms hybrids with other species that may be found in or near its coastal habitat.
Habitat
Brackish or salt marshes and flats, intertidal, subtidal or open ocean
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Leaf blade width
- 4–8 mm
- Lowest bract sheath
- the lowest bract has no sheath (or a very short sheath up to four millimeters in length)
- 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
- 2.4–4 mm
- Leaf sheath color
-
- the leaf sheath has no pink, red or purple tinting
- the leaf sheath is tinted pink, red or purple
- 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
-
Flowers
- Bumps on fruit
- the perigynium surface has papillae on it
- Length of scale
- the scale is shorter than the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 22–65 mm
- Lowest spike stalk length
- 5–68 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- 0.2–0.4 mm
- Perigynium beak orientation
- the beak of the perigynium is straight, and in line with the perigynium
- Perigynium beak serrations
- 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
-
- glaucous (with a whitish bloom)
- green
- Perigynium cross-section
-
- the perigynium is biconvex (convexly rounded on both sides, like a lens) in cross-section
- the perigynium is planoconvex (flat on one surface and rounded on the other) in cross-section
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 2.4–4 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- 0–100
- Perigynium nerve texture
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- 0–50
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- 0–50
- 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 elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- Perigynium width
- 1.3–1.9 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 20–40 mm
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 1–3
- Scale awn
- the carpellate scale has an awn on it
- Scale awn texture
- the carpellate scale awn has tiny teeth
- Scale color
-
- red-brown
- tan
- Scale length
- 2.9–20 mm
- Scale tip
-
- the carpellate scale tip is acuminate (tapered to a narrow point)
- the carpellate scale tip is rounded to retuse (blunt or rounded, with a notch at the tip)
- Spike on stalk
- the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle
- Spike orientation
- the spikes are bent downwards or droop downwards
- Spikes per stem
- 2-15
- Staminate scale tip
-
- the staminate scale tip is acuminate (tapered to a narrow point)
- the staminate scale tip is acute (has a sharp point)
- Stigma branching
- the stigmas have two branches
- Top spike
- the uppermost spike contains only staminate flowers
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene dimples
- the achene has a clear fold or dimple
- Style persistence
- the style falls off the mature achenes
-
Growth form
- Rhizomes
- there are long rhizomes present
-
Leaves
- Leaf arrangement
- the leaves are mostly produced higher up on the plant
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is smooth and hairless, or rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 4–8 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
- the leaf sheath is tinted pink, red or purple
- 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 no sheath (or a very short sheath up to four millimeters in length)
- Lowest leaf blade width
- 4–8 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
-
Place
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Specific habitat
-
- brackish or salt marshes and flats
- intertidal, subtidal or open ocean
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 15–80 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 singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
139. Carex paleacea Schreb. ex Wahlenb. N
chaffy sedge. Carex crinita Lam. var. paleacea (Schreb. ex Wahlenb.) Dewey; C. paleacea Schreb. ex Wahlenb. var. transatlantica Fern. • MA, ME, NH. Saline and brackish marshes.
139×141. Carex paleacea × Carex stricta → This rare sedge hybrid is known from MA, ME, NH. It is very similar to Carex recta and C. vacillans (see identification key). It can be separated from both by its leaf blades that usually lack stomates on the adaxial surface (present in both of the aforementioned species) and its relatively consistent production of prominently ladder-fibrillose basal leaf sheaths (this feature usually lacking in the aforementioned species). From C. recta it is further distinguished by its nerved perigynia (usually 1–4 ± prominent veins on mature perigynia) and by its nearly complete sterility ( C. recta usually produces many mature achenes). From C. vacillans it is further distinguished by its relatively broad, pale central band on the carpellate scales, narrower perigynium apex (acute in this hybrid, rounded or nearly so in C. vacillans), and absence of scabrules about the orifice of the perigynia beak.
Native to North America?
Yes
Synonyms
- Carex crinita var. paleacea (Schreb. ex Wahlenb.) Dewey
- Carex paleacea var. transatlantica Fern.