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Carex blanda

Dewey

Woodland Sedge

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.157592
Element CodePMCYP031U0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyCyperaceae
GenusCarex
Synonyms
Carex laxiflora var. blanda(Dew.) Boott
Other Common Names
Carex lisse (FR) Charming Sedge (EN) Eastern Woodland Sedge (EN) eastern woodland sedge (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-08
Change Date2015-07-02
Edition Date2024-07-08
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Carex blanda is a wide-ranging perennial graminoid in a variety of forests and woodlands with variable soil conditions occurring in eastern and central North America from New Brunswick west to Ontario, Canada and North Dakota and Wyoming in the United States south to Florida west to New Mexico. Potential threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance, succession, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Carex blanda occurs in eastern and central North America from New Brunswick west to Ontario, Canada and North Dakota and Wyoming in the United States south to Florida west to New Mexico (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be approximately 5 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, succession, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Carex blanda grows in wet, moist or dry, open areas or in deciduous or deciduous-evergreen forests, cove forests, bottomlands, and other, mesic, nutrient-rich forests and in a wide range of soil types, frequently weedy (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodForest - MixedForest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - Mixed
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS5Yes
New BrunswickS1Yes
QuebecS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OklahomaSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
MissouriSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
South DakotaSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
ColoradoSNRYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
LouisianaSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
MississippiS5Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
IllinoisS4Yes
New JerseyS5Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
FloridaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
North DakotaSNRYes
KansasS5Yes
MichiganSNRYes
North CarolinaS4Yes
MaineSNRYes
South CarolinaS4Yes
IndianaS5Yes
ArkansasS5Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
WyomingS2Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
TexasSNRYes
IowaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Illinois (1)
AreaForestAcres
Ripple HollowShawnee National Forest3,788
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 23. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 608 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.