Carex stipata


Carex stipata, variously called the prickly sedge, awl-fruited sedge, awlfruit sedge, owlfruit sedge, swamp sedge, sawbeak sedge, stalk-grain sedge and common fox sedge, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Carex, native to Canada, the United States, China, Korea, Japan, and Far Eastern Russia. It is a wetland obligate.

Description

Carex stipata is a tuft-forming, grass-like plant, reaching 2 to 3 ft. in height. Leaves are coarse and elongate. The inflorescence is a spike, with a cluster of brown seed capsules high on each stem. The fruit is an achene.

Distribution and habitat

Carex stipata favours wetland conditions, such as woodland swales, floodplains, marshes, water meadows, ditches and the area around streams and ponds.

Subtaxa

The following varieties are currently accepted:
  • Carex stipata var. maxima Chapm. ex Boott
  • Carex stipata var. ''stipata''