| Section 5 » Family Cyperaceae |
Show/Hide Synonym
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| Carex rugosperma | < | Carex umbellata | Gleason and Cronquist (1991) | | | Carex rugosperma | < | Carex umbellata | Radford, Ahles, and Bell (1968) | | | Carex rugosperma | < | Carex umbellata | Wofford (1989) | | | Carex rugosperma | = | Carex umbellata | Fernald (1950) | , misapplied | | Carex rugosperma | = | Carex tonsa var. rugosperma | Flora of North America (1993b, 1997, 2000, 2002a, 2002b, 2003a, 2004b, 2005, 2006a, 2006b, 2006c, 2007a, 2009, 2010) | | | Carex rugosperma | = | Carex tonsa var. rugosperma | Kartesz (1999) | | | Carex rugosperma | = | Carex tonsa var. rugosperma | | | | Source: Weakley's Flora |
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| Author | Mackenzie | |
| Distribution | Scattered in the Mountains and upper Piedmont; disjunct to a granitic flatrock in Anson County in the lower Piedmont. In 2022 Derick Poindexter annotated all specimens in this species group at NCU herbarium; C. rugosperma occurs only in Alleghany and Anson counties! SERNEC records at other herbaria for Ashe, Burke, Caldwell, Swain, Transylvania, and Yadkin counties need to be double-checked for ID.
P.E.I. to MN south to GA, IN, and MO. | |
| Abundance | Probably rare to locally uncommon, but the distribution and abundance are poorly known. Based on the specimen data so far -- 8 counties, the website editors suggest a State Rank of S1S2 and a Watch List status. | |
| Habitat | Dry thin soils of rock outcrops, ridges, woodland edges; sometimes fields. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting April-June. | |
| Identification | Parachute Sedge appears in the field as a dense tuft of leaves with flowering stems that may be rather hidden within (varying to nearly as long as the leaves). It is closely related to C. tonsa and C. umbellata. From C. tonsa, it is told by perigynia pubescent on the beak and body (vs. sparsely so on the beak only) and leaves generally roughened on the upper surface (vs. smooth). From C. umbellata, it is told by longer mature perigynia (3.1-4.7 mm vs. 2.2-3.2 mm). | |
| Taxonomic Comments | Formerly included within C. tonsa as var. rugosperma.
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) | Wrinkle-seeded Sedge | |
| State Rank | [S1S2] | |
| Global Rank | G5T5 [G5] | |
| State Status | [W7] | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
