| Author | Schweinitz | |
| Distribution | Lower to middle Piedmont and Mountains, with a distinct gap in the western Piedmont -- very curious! Extends somewhat down the Cape Fear River to Cumberland County, in the upper Coastal Plain.
Newf. to Man. south to northern GA, AL, and AR. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon to frequent in both the eastern/central Piedmont and Mountains, but oddly very rare in the western Piedmont, for no obvious reason. | |
| Habitat | On lower slopes of hardwood and mixed forests, upper terraces of floodplains, and bottomlands. Most often found in circumneutral or other rich soil, but not restricted to such high pH soils. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late April-June. | |
| Identification | A number of sedges possess slender, arching or drooping spikes, such as C. debilis, C. flexuosa, C. allegheniensis, C. aestivalis, C. roanensis, and C. venusta. Carex gracillima is distinct in its combination of dark red-purple base of the plant, beakless (or nearly so) perigynia, and glabrous leaf sheaths. | |
| 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) | Purple-sheathed Graceful Sedge | |
| State Rank | S3 [S4] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
