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- Carex recta
Carex recta — estuary sedge
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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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Facts
Estuary sedge is unusual in that it is a stable hybrid between water sedge (Carex aquatilis, a sedge of freshwater wetlands) and chaffy sedge (C. paleacea, a sedge of salt marshes). It shares a parent (C. paleacea) with swinging sedge (C. vacillans), and the two taxa are difficult to distinguish without careful study. Estuary sedge has a northern coastal distribution, occuring only in saline and brackish marshes and shores, in a few sites on the Maine coastline.
Habitat
Brackish or salt marshes and flats, intertidal, subtidal or open ocean, shores of rivers or lakes
Characteristics
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
- Maine
- Leaf blade width
- 2.5–5 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 only staminate flowers
- Perigynium hairs
- the perigynium has no hairs
- Perigynium length
- 1.9–3.1 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 nearly as long as, or longer than, the perigynium
- Lowest spike length
- 30–55 mm
- Lowest spike stalk length
- 6–20 mm
- Lowest spike width
- 2–6 mm
- Perigynium beak
- the perigynium has a beak
- Perigynium beak length
- 0.2–0.3 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
- tan
- 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
- 1.9–3.1 mm
- Perigynium nerve number
- 0–8
- Perigynium nerve texture
-
- NA
- the nerves on the perigynium are raised, even after drying the perigynium
- Perigynium nerves lower side
- 0–4
- Perigynium nerves upper side
- 0–4
- 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 elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- Perigynium width
- 1.2–2 mm
- Perigynium winged
- the perigynium has no wings
- Pollen- and seed-producing spikes
- some of the spikes produce perigynia
- Pollen-producing spike number
- 1–3
- Scale awn
- the carpellate scale has an awn on it
- Scale awn texture
-
- the carpellate scale awn does not have teeth (it may or may not have hairs)
- the carpellate scale awn has tiny teeth
- Scale color
-
- brown
- other
- Scale length
- 2.8–5.5 mm
- Scale tip
- the carpellate scale tip is acuminate (tapered to a narrow point)
- Spike on stalk
- the lowest spike on the plant has a peduncle
- Spike orientation
-
- the spikes are bent downwards or droop downwards
- the spikes are oriented vertically or pressed against the axis
- Spikes per stem
- 2-15
- 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
- 2.5–5 mm
- Leaf bumps
-
- the upper surface of the leaf blade does not have papillae
- the upper surface of the leaf blade has papillae on it
- 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
- 2.5–5 mm
- Lowest leaf sheath texture
- the leaf sheath feels smooth (it may have soft hairs)
-
Place
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
- Maine
- Specific habitat
-
- brackish or salt marshes and flats
- intertidal, subtidal or open ocean
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 25–80 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 singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- historical (S-rank: SH), potentially extirpated (code: PE)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
Synonyms
- Carex kattegatensis Fries ex Lindm.
- Carex ×neofilipendula Lepage
- Carex salina Wahlenb. var. kattegatensis (Fries ex Lindm.) Almquist
- Carex ×subnigra Lepage
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
140. Carex recta Boott NC
estuary sedge. Carex kattegatensis Fries ex Lindm.; C. ×neofilipendula Lepage; C. salina Wahlenb. var. kattegatensis (Fries ex Lindm.) Almquist; Carex ×subnigra Lepage • ME; far-eastern portion of state. Saline and brackish marshes, Atlantic coast shorelines, tidal river shores. This extremely rare species is over-reported, and nearly all records from New England are based on Carex vacillans and Carex paleacea ×C. stricta (the latter is specifically responsible for the reports in MA and NH by Standley et al. 2002).