Carex nebrascensis

Carex nebrascensis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
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. nebrascensis
Binomial name
Carex nebrascensis Dewey
Synonyms[1]
List Carex jamesii var. nebrascensis (Dewey) L.H.Bailey Carex jamesii var. ultriformis (L.H.Bailey) Kük. Carex nebrascensis var. eruciformis Suksd. Carex nebrascensis var. praevia L.H.Bailey Carex nebrascensis var. ultriformis L.H.Bailey

Carex nebrascensis is a species of sedge commonly known as Nebraska sedge.

Description

Carex nebrascensis produces upright, angled, spongy stems up to about 90 centimeters tall. The waxy, bluish leaves form tufts around the base of each stem. The root system is a very dense network of rhizomes. The inflorescence includes a few narrow staminate spikes above some wider pistillate spikes on short peduncles. The fruit is covered in a tough, slightly inflated sac called a perigynium which sometimes has a pattern of red spotting.[2][3]

Distribution and habitat

This sedge is native to the central and Western United States and north into central Canada. It grows in wetlands[4] at various elevations, including the Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert sky islands.[5] Carex nebrascensis tolerates alkaline soils and submersion for long periods of time.

Uses

Uses for this sedge, Carex nebrascensis, include:

• Forage for livestock and wildlife
• Ornamental grass ("grasslike") plant in natural, native plant, and habitat gardens
• Erosion control and soil compaction remediation.
• Restoration ecology
  • Riparian zone restoration
  • Stream restoration
  • Wetland restoration
• Phytoremediation in natural and constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment by bioremediation.[6]

References

1. "Carex nebrascensis". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
2. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
3. "Carex nebrascensis". ucjeps.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
4. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
5. "Carex nebrascensis Dewey | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
6. Wetland Plant Fact Sheet Archived March 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment - Carex nebrascensis
• Carex nebrascensis - Photo gallery at Calphotos