| Author | Rudge | |
| Distribution | Coastal Plain; rare in the lower Piedmont.
Coastal Plain, DE to southern FL and eastern TX, scattered inland to northwestern GA, IN, and OK. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon to often fairly common, but scarce in the eastern Piedmont and along the immediate coast and barrier islands. | |
| Habitat | Swampy woodlands (Red Maple [Acer rubrum], Swamp Tupelo [Nyssa biflora], cypress), bottomland forests, and various wooded depressions/ponds. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting June-July. | |
| Identification | Giant Sedge is not the largest Carex in NC, even though flowering stems sometimes reach 3 feet tall. Like its close relatives, the female spikes look like small, bristly corncobs. The achene bodies are distinctly wider than long. Spikes of C. gigantea are 3-8 cm long; those of C. lupulina are no more than 6.5 cm but much wider; those of C. lupuliformis are about the same length but achenes are about as wide as long; those of C. lurida are up to 6 cm long and achenes are up to 11 mm long (vs. greater than 11 mm long in gigantea). | |
| 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 | S4 | |
| Global Rank | G4 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | OBL link |
