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woollyfruit sedge

Scientific Name: Carex lasiocarpa

Family: Cyperaceae

Category: Monocot

Growth: Graminoid

Duration: Perennial

Other Names: PA (slender sedge)

       

Carex lasiocarpa: Slender Sedge and Woollyfruit Sedge

Carex lasiocarpa, commonly known as slender sedge or woollyfruit sedge, is a perennial sedge species with distinctive features and a significant ecological presence in wetland environments.

Considerations for Pets

  • This sedge has a strong, peppery smell.
  • The fruit is an achene, which may present a choking hazard if ingested, though the text does not detail its toxicity.

Considerations for Children

  • The fruit is an achene, which may present a choking hazard if ingested, though the text does not detail its toxicity.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Carex lasiocarpa Ehrh.
  • Common Names: Slender Sedge, Woollyfruit Sedge, Slender Woolly-fruited Sedge, Woolly-fruited Sedge, Woolly Sedge, Wiregrass Sedge, Fen Wiregrass Sedge, Narrow-leaved Woolly Sedge, American Woolly-fruit Sedge.
  • Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge Family)
  • Synonyms/Subspecies: Carex lasiocarpa subsp. americana (Fernald) D.Löve & Bernard, Carex pellita

Distribution and Habitat

  • Carex lasiocarpa is found in wetland habitats.
  • Specific habitats include shore fens, sedge meadows, and Great Lakes Sedge Rich Shore Fens.
  • It is found in areas like Dane County, Wisconsin and Bear Lake Sedge Meadow.

Ecological Role

  • In some meadows, it is a dominant species intermixed with other plants like three-fruited sedge, marsh cinquefoil, cotton-grass, and blue-joint grass.
  • It is a characteristic plant of certain rare ecosystems.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Perennial sedge, growing 15-90 cm (approximately 6 to 35 inches) tall, unbranched.
  • It is a colonial, variable plant.
  • The fruit is an achene, developing from May to September, with one achene per perigynium.
  • The perigynia (sacs enclosing the female flower and later the fruit) are covered with short hairs, giving the fruit a pubescent or woolly appearance.
  • The individual spikes of the inflorescence are widely spaced.
  • It is rhizomatous, growing 6 to 40 inches.

Quirky Facts

  • The plant's fruit has been described as densely pubescent.
  • It has a strong, peppery smell.

Further Information

  • USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
  • EOL (Encyclopedia of Life)
  • Wisconsin State Herbarium