Taxonomy |
Carex canescens L.
CYPERACEAE (Sedge Family)
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Etymology | Carex is the classical Latin name for sedge; canescens means with short, fine hairs that give the appearance of being gray or off-white; from the Latin, canseco = to become gray or white. | |
Synonyms (Common Name) | Silvery Sedge, Hoary Sedge | |
Description | Silvery bog sedge is a perennial sedge that grows to 3' high. It appears grayish-green or silvery because the foliage is glaucous -- covered with a whitish-bluish waxy bloom. Silvery bog sedge bears several short (less than 1/2"), sessile, uniform spikes. | |
Wetland indicator status | OBL | |
Plant Height | to 3 feet | |
Leaves | Slender, to 1/8" wide, glaucous, whitish bluish, or gray-green. | |
Flower/Inflorescence | Male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers on the same spike. Spikes silvery -green to grayish, sessile, cylindrical, 3/16 - 3/8" long; 4-8 per stem; lower 1-2 spikes farther spaced on stem than others; bristly bracts inconspicuous; 15-30 perigynia per spike. Perigynia oval, to 1/8" long, slightly rough, short beaked. | |
Fruit | Achene, lens-shaped. | |
Fruiting Period | June-August. | |
Habitat | Bogs, swamps, marshes, wet woods, wet meadows. | |
Range | Newfoundland Alaska, south to Virginia, Ohio, Arizona and California. | |