Northeast Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Carex baileyi Britt.
- Family: Sedge (Cyperaceae)
- Flowering: June-September
- Field Marks: The distinguishing characteristics of this sedge are the separate male and female spikes, the beaked perigynia with the beak as long as or longer than the body, the female spikes only 1/3-1/2 inch thick, and the narrow leaves up to 1/6 inch wide.
- Habitat: Wet woods, wet meadows.
- Habit: Tufted perennial herb with thickened rootstocks.
- Stems: Upright, usually unbranched, sharply 3-angled, smooth, up to 2 feet tall.
- Leaves: Elongated, rough to the touch, at least along the edges, up to 1/6 inch wide.
- Flowers: Borne in spikelets, the spikelets congregated into spikes, the male spike separate from the female ones but on the same plant, all subtended by leafy bracts, the male spike solitary, slender, erect, up to 2 inches long, the female spikes 2-4, ascending, up to 1 3/4 inches long, 1/3-1/2 inch thick.
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Borne in a perigynium, the perigynium with a nearly spherical body and a slender beak as long as or longer than the body, smooth, conspicuously nerved, 1/4-1/3 inch long, about 1/10 inch thick, each perigynium subtended by lanceolate scales shorter than the perigynium; stigmas 3.
- Fruits: Achenes triangular, obovoid, up to 1/6 inch long.
- Notes: The achenes are eaten by waterfowl.
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