Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Carex debilis
Sedge, Weak sedge, White-edge sedge
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Carex debilis var. debilis, Carex debilis var. rudgei

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 [?]

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F
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M
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A
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M
0
J
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J
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A
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S
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O
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N
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D
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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:There are several varieties of this species and two of them var. rudgei and var. debilis seem to occurr in Illinois.

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Monocot, perennial

Roots: adventitious, fibrous

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:

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed in Indiana with Acer saccharum, and Fagus grandifolia, but also in oak woods.

ILPIN Notes: The culms are basally reddish-purple, with filamentose basal sheaths. Blades and sheaths are scabrous-pubescent. Staminate spikes are long-pedunculate and droop. Perigynia are conspicuously beaked and stalked, mostly glabrous, broadly to ovately lanceolate. Achenes are triangular, concave below, with thickened angles, punctate, strongly stipitate, and jointed with the flexuous style. This taxon probably var. rudgei Bailey - in ref. 4, this extends w. to Wisconsin and Minnesota, but var. debilis does not. Topmost spikes are usually staminate, laterals 2-4, pistillate. Species is found in SSE Ill.; Hardin co. only.

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: 10
  • Chicago Area:

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