Southern Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Carex decomposita Muhl.
- Family: Sedge (Cyperaceae)
- Flowering: May-June
- Field Marks: This sedge has spikelets borne in short, branched spikes. The perigynia have finely toothed beaks and leaf sheaths that are red-spotted.
- Habitat: Swamps, often growing on cypress knees, stumps, downed logs; marshes.
- Habit: Tufted perennial.
- Stems: Upright, unbranched, smooth, up to 3 feet tall.
- Leaves: Elongated, smooth, up to 1/3 inch wide; leaf sheath red-spotted.
- Flowers: Borne in spikelets, with many spikelets crowded into short, branched spikes.
- Spikelets: Dark brown, with male flowers at the top and female flowers below; scales of the female flowers with a short awn; perigynia brown, about 1/8 inch long, with a finely toothed beak.
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Ovary superior.
- Fruits: Achenes brown, smooth, ellipsoid to obovoid, about 1/12 inch long.
- Notes: This is a candidate species for the Federal endangered species list.
Return to Species List -- Group 3
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