| Author | Chapman | |
| Distribution | Known from one record each in the Sandhills and the central Coastal Plain (historical in Wayne County). Currently known from an old sand and gravel quarry on Fort Bragg in Moore County.
NC to northern FL and southeastern MS; disjunct to western LA and eastern TX. | |
| Abundance | Very rare; the current population has several dozen plants. This is a State Endangered species. | |
| Habitat | Xeric, gravelly, quartz sand under Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris). Occurs with Carolina Wiregrass (Aristida stricta) and Sand Spikemoss (Bryodesma acanthonota). Outside of NC, Weakley (2018) says that "Longleaf pine sandhills" is the habitat; thus, it certainly could, if not should, be found in other places in the NC Sandhills region or other southern Coastal Plain counties. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting April-June. | |
| Identification | Wire Sedge is loosely colonial from elongate horizontal rhizomes. Leaves are rather stiff, the outer half or more folded or involute. Plants usually have 2 female spikes crowded next to the male spike. Perigynia are 4-6 mm long, tapered to both ends, and pilose. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
The genus Carex is the largest in North America, and among the largest in the world. In temperate and boreal regions, Carex is often the dominant or co-dominant ground layer in many habitats. Seeds (achenes) are valuable food for birds and small mammals, while foliage is used by birds and mammals to make nests and as food by mammals. Species of Carex often look vastly different from one another -- spikes erect vs. drooping, tiny inflorescence vs. whopping, culms leafy vs. naked, perigynia beaked vs. beakless, stems densely bunched vs. single, etc. The genus has been divided into many sections (or groups), based on shared characters; some taxonomists have suggested that these be different genera, but that proves unworkable (so far). All Carex share the feature of a perigynium (an outer covering) which completely surrounds the achene (seed). This covering may fit tightly or loosely (like a small bladder), depending on which group or species. Details of perigynia shape, ornamentation, presence and size of beak, number of striations (or veins) are all important ID features. In recent years Rob Naczi and colleagues have stressed the importance of arrangement of perigynia -- whether spiral (3+ ranks) or distichous (2-ranked) -- and have named a number of new species as well as split off some older synonyms. Therefore, RAB's (1968) key, excellent for its time, can only be used in a general way today. Members of some sections of Carex are difficult to key out (notably Ovales, Laxiflorae, Griseae); this is in part due to variation among individuals of a species, or failings of the key. FNA has drawings of most species and some species may be found in two or more places within a key, to acount for variability. New species to NC, and new to science(!), continue to be found in NC. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | None | |
| State Rank | S1 | |
| Global Rank | G4 | |
| State Status | E | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
