Carex rupestris

Carex rupestris, called the curly sedge and rock sedge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cyperaceae, native to temperate and subarctic North America, Greenland, Iceland, Europe, and Asia.

Description

Carex rupestris is a type of sedge, growing between in height. It grows in dense, matted tufts. Rhizome branch lengths measure. Aerial shoots ascend from the rhizome, with dead leaves persisting for several years and giving the stands a typical straw-yellow colour, recognizable at a distance. Leaves are up to wide and channelled, appearing at the base of the stem. The inflorescence is composed of a single spike at the top of the stem. Rhizomes are brown or black, with a scaly appearance. The species fruits in late spring to summer.

Distribution and habitat

Carex rupestris is an arctic-alpine species found at higher altitudes. It favours dry ground, heathland, talus slopes, and rocky outcrops and ledges. Carex rupestris subsp. altimontana is found only in the Altai Republic of Russia.

Taxonomy

The following subspecies are currently accepted:

Carex rupestris subsp. altimontana
Carex rupestris subsp. ''rupestris''

Conservation

Carex rupestris is considered an endangered species across the Carpathian Mountains due to the effect of climate change. It is extirpated in Bulgaria. In North America,, NatureServe listed C. rupestris as Globally Secure (G5). This status was last reviewed on. In individual provinces and states, it is listed as Critically Imperiled in South Dakota; Imperiled in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec; and, Vulnerable in Alberta and Newfoundland.