PROTECTING WISCONSIN'S BIODIVERSITY

 
 
   
 
Scientific Name Common Name Global Rank State Rank Federal Status WI Status

Drooping Sedge (Carex prasina)

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Photo by Ryan O'Connor

 

Counties with Mapped NHI Occurrences

Drooping Sedge (Carex prasina), a Wisconsin Special Concern plant, is found in shaded, seeping ravine bottoms in deciduous or mixed woods, occasionally in sedge meadows. Blooming occurs early-May through early-June, fruiting early-June through early-September. The optimal identification period for this species is early-June through July.

 
 
 

Drooping sedge is a graminoid, 30-80cm tall, with 2-4 lateral spikes, 1 per node, each overlapping the 1 above, uncrowded, and nodding or drooping at maturity. Pistillate spikes have 25-50 perigynia, are narrowly cylindric but broader and more densely flowered at the distal end. The terminal spike is male or gynecandrous with a few female flowers distally. Perigynia are green to golden green at maturity, strongly 2-ribbed but otherwise veinless or nearly so, loosely envelop achenes, lance-ovoid, membranous, base have short stipe, apex tapering to flattened, and glabrous. The beak is often bent and with minute hyaline teeth, achenes are substipitate. It has 2-3 basal sheaths that are green or tinged with maroon, bladeless, very short or absent, and glabrous, others are green on back and white-hyaline on front, flat, and glabrous.

It can be distinguished from other Carex species in the Hymenochlaenae section by its often bent beak and perigynia with only 2 veins.

Rhizomatous. Blooming occurs early-May through early-June, fruiting early-June through early-September.

Perennial. The optimal identification period for this species is early-June through July.

Associated species include Acer saccharum, A rubrum, Betula alleghaniensis, B papyrifera, Tsuga canadensis, Carex scabrata, Listera convallarioides, and Cryptotaenia canadensis.

Drooping sedge prefers moist or wet soils and is found in shaded, seeping ravine bottoms in deciduous or mixed woods, occasionally in sedge meadows.

Avoid known individual plant locations and conduct operations elsewhere when they are least likely to cause damage. Ideally, this would involve frozen, snow-covered ground. However, in areas of the state where frozen conditions are unreliable, very dry soils late in the growing season might be the best available alternative. Consult with a biologist, if needed.

Avoid broadcast spraying of herbicides and use care with spot spraying.

Avoid direct disturbance to sensitive microsites such as seeps, cliffs, and moss-covered boulders.

Buffer management around unique microhabitats such as ephemeral ponds, seeps, etc.

This species requires shaded habitat conditions, maintain high forest canopy cover.

Minimize disturbance to hydrology, including soil disturbance from rutting.

Survey for and control invasive plants prior to conducting timber operations, as these can be spread by vehicles and often respond vigorously to increased light. See forestry BMPs for invasive species.

Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) are associated with habitats (or natural communities) and places on the landscape. Understanding relationships among SGCN, natural communities and ecological landscapes help us make decisions about issues affecting SGCN and their habitat and how to respond. Download the Wildlife Action Plan association score spreadsheet to explore rare species, natural communities and ecological landscape associations

Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.