Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Carex pensylvanica
Pennsylvania sedge, Pennsylvania Sedge, Common oak sedge, Pennsylvania oak sedge
Taxonomy

Synonyms:

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

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

Images

   
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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:

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, head

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

Fruit: achene

Physiology: autotrophic

Reproduction: vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed on upland wooded slopes and ridges; common in disturbed woodlands - associated with Fraxinus americana, Prunus serotina, Quercus alba; common in black-oak savannah of the dune areas.

ILPIN Notes: Aspect - culms long as or longer than leaves; leafless, horizontal rhizomes; culms mostly less than 3 dm tall, densely tufted. Pistillate spikes 5-10 mm l. l less than or equal to 2 width; male spike sessile or nearly so, less than 2 cm l.; leaves glabrous; perigynia and achene - Vs. var. distans, l. less than 3 mm, beak about 1/4 l. body, greater than 0.4 mm.; perigynia in spike, spreading to ascending; body suborbicular-ovoid, about as wide as l., slightly 3 angled. Staminate scales rectangular-obtuse, narrow stalked base; pistillate scales broad-lanceolate; broad, sessile base. Terminal spike is staminate, lateral spikes are pistillate.

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: 5
  • Chicago Area: 5

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