Carex stricta

Carex stricta is a species of sedge known by the common names upright sedge[1] and tussock sedge.[2] It is grass-like and can be difficult to distinguish from other plants, because of its long, triangular, green stems. The plant grows in moist marshes, forests and alongside bodies of water.[3] It grows up to 2 feet (0.61 m) tall and 2 feet (0.61 m) wide. When the leaves die, they build on top of or around the living plant, making a "tussock".[3] Widely distributed in and east of the Great Plains[4], it is one of the most common wetland sedges in eastern North America.[5]

Carex stricta

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Carex
Subgenus: Carex subg. Carex
Section: Carex sect. Phacocystis
Species:
C. stricta
Binomial name
Carex stricta
Synonyms
  • Carex elata Gooden.
  • Carex strictior Dewey

Their seeds are carried by the wind. When seeds land, they are eaten by birds such as dark-eyed junco, northern cardinal, wild turkey, and ducks such as mallard and wood duck. The seeds are also eaten by squirrels and other mammals.[3] The plant can also reproduce vegetatively via rhizomes, and often form colonies.[3]

It is a larval host to the black dash, the dun skipper, and the eyed brown.[6]

References
  1. "Carex stricta Lam., upright sedge". PLANTS Profile. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  2. Coladonato, M. 1994. Carex stricta. In: Fire Effects Information System, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
  3. Carex stricta. Archived 2012-10-01 at the Wayback Machine Study of Northern Virginia Ecology. Fairfax County Public Schools.
  4. "Carex stricta". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  5. Carex stricta. Flora of North America.
  6. The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
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