Carex prasina — drooping sedge
![Inflorescence: Carex prasina. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/carex-prasina-in-ahaines-a.jpg)
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Facts
Drooping sedge occurs deciduous and mixed evergreen forests, especially along streams or in damp areas. Experimental work showed that drooping sedge was less robust when grown on the low-organic matter soils on which it is most abundant, and appeared to prefer higher-organic matter soils, on which it was not found in the wild. This indicates that factors such as competition, dispersal limitation, or other factors may be more important than soil type in determining species distributions.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forests, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps
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
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 2–5 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 both staminate and carpellate flowers, with the staminate flowers located below the carpellate flowers
- the uppermost spike contains only staminate flowers
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 2.5–4 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 divided at the top into two teeth
-
Flowers
- Bumps on fruit
- there are no papillae on the perigynium surface
- Distance between perigynia
- 1–3.5 mm
- Length of scale
- the scale is shorter than the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 15–60 mm
- Lowest spike stalk length
- Up to 40 mm
- Lowest spike width
- 3.5–5.5 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- 1–1.5 mm
- Perigynium beak orientation
- the beak of the perigynium is curved, or angled out from the perigynium
- Perigynium beak serrations
- the perigynium beak has no serrations
- Perigynium beak teeth
- the perigynium beak is divided at the top into two teeth
- Perigynium color
-
- green
- yellow
- Perigynium cross-section
- the perigynium is trigonous (triangular) in cross-section
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 2.5–4 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- At least 2
- Perigynium nerve texture
- NA
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- At least 1
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- At least 1
- 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 lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the perigynium body is ovate (egg-shaped)
- Perigynium width
- 1–1.5 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike length
- 25–40 mm
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 0–1
- Pollen-producing spike peduncle length
- 0–10 mm
- Pollen-producing spike width
- 2.5–4 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
-
- green
- white or translucent
- 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 bent downwards or droop downwards
- Spikes per stem
- 2-15
- Stigma branching
- the stigmas have three 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
- 1.3–2 mm
- Achene width
- 1–1.2 mm
- Style persistence
- the style falls off the mature achenes
-
Growth form
- Rhizomes
- there are no rhizomes, or the rhizomes are very short
-
Leaves
- Leaf arrangement
- 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
- 2–5 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
- 2–5 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
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- shores of rivers or lakes
- swamps
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 30–80 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 only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
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
93. Carex prasina Wahlenb. N
drooping sedge. CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Deciduous and mixed evergreen-deciduous forests, usually along streams and in other damp or wet places, including seeps and ditches.