Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Carex comosa
Bristly sedge, Bearded sedge
Taxonomy

Synonyms:

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0

Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Monocot, perennial

Roots: adventitious, fibrous, rhizomes

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Parallel leaf venation; awl-shaped leaf shape

Inflorescence: spike

Flowers: unisexual, monoecious; 3 merous; incomplete, not petals, not sepals; hypogynous ovary position

Fruit: achene

Physiology: autotrophic

Reproduction: vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is frequent on ditches; boggy places (ref. 7); sinkhole ponds; swampy ground; along oxbow lakes (ref. 4).

ILPIN Notes: Terminal spike staminate, occasionally with a few perigynia. Lateral spikes 3-6, pistillate. Culm bases and rhizomes sans fibrillose scales. Culm bases green-brown. Flowering culms over 1/5 M., mostly exceeding leaves. Foliage flat, not glaucous. Pistillate spikes subglobose-oblong, ascending-spreading on stout, rough pedicels, pistillate and staminate spikes conspicuous. Pistillate scales linear-lanceolate, shorter than to barely exceeding perigynia, serrulate awned. Perigynia beaked, the beak toothed; perigynia reflexed to widely divergent.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 6
  • Chicago Area: 5

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