Northeast Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Carex joorii L.H. Bailey
- Family: Sedge (Cyperaceae)
- Flowering: August-October
- Field Marks: This sedge differs by its glaucous leaves, stems, and perigynia, its separate male and female spikes, and its inflated, obovoid to rhomboid perigynia with a short, straight beak.
- Habitat: Swamps, bottomland forests.
- Habit: Clump-forming perennial from rather stout rhizomes.
- Stems: Upright, unbranched, rough, at least near the inflorescence, usually glaucous, distinctly triangular, up to 5 feet tall.
- Leaves: Elongated, pale green to usually glaucous, inrolled and rough along the edges, 1/4-1/2 inch wide.
- Flowers: Borne in separate male and female spikes; male spike usually 1, up to 2 1/2 inches long, on a roughened stalk; female spikes 3-6, cylindrical, sometimes with a few male flowers at the tip, up to 2 1/2 inches long, up to 1/2 inch thick, glaucous; female scales ovate to oblong, short-awned, extending beyond the perigynia, reddish brown with a green midvein.
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Borne in a perigynium, each perigynium rhomboid to obovoid, inflated, usually glaucous, several-nerved, smooth, up to 1/4 inch long, with a straight beak about 1/24 inch long.
- Fruits: Achenes obovoid, about 1/6 inch long, smooth.
- Notes: Waterfowl eat the achenes.
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