Carex canescens L.
CYPERACEAE (Sedge Family)
| Taxonomy |
Carex canescens L.
CYPERACEAE (Sedge Family)
| |
| 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. |