Scientific Name
Carex nebrascensis Dewey
Common Name(s)
Nebraska sedge
Tribe / Family Name
Cyperaceae
Flowering Period
June to September
Symbol
CANE2
Description
Nebraska sedge is a cool-season, native perennial grass-like plant that is loosely to densely tufted, with long, stout, scaly rhizomes; reproduction occurs from seeds and rhizomes. Culms range from 20–90 cm in height and has an erect growth habit and sharply triangular (3-angled) stems that are coarse and brown or reddish brown at the bases. Inflorescences contain 1 or 2 terminal, staminate spikes that are 15–40 mm long, and broadly linear; 3–5 lateral, pistillate spikes or 1 to 2 androgynous, 15–70 mm long, up to 9 mm wide, and oblong to cylindrical. Bracts are leaf-like and not sheathing; the lowest is shorter than or equal to the inflorescence. Perigynia are 2.6–4 mm long, up to 2.5 mm wide, elliptic to ovate to obovate, plano-convex or biconvex, tough, granular, sessile, stramineous with reddish dots, and strongly 5–9 nerves on each side; beaks are up to 0.6 mm long, minutely bidentate, and roughened or scabrous at the mouth. Pistillate scales are lanceolate, obtuse to acuminate to awned-tipped, brownish to purplish-black with a pale midstripe and hyaline margins, and mostly about equaling the parigynia. Stigmas 2. Fruit is an achene, lenticular, and light to dark brown. Leaves are 10–40 cm long, up to 12 mm wide, 8–15 per culm, mostly borne on the lower one-third of the culm, thick, firm, flat, linear, and usually glaucous. Sheaths are hyaline and concave at the mouth.
General Info
Nebraska sedge can be found in wet meadows, marshes, streams, lake edges, ponds, and ditches, often in alkaline soil conditions.
Similar Species
Nebraska sedge can look similar to other sedges, such as water sedge (Carex aquatilis) and widefruit sedge (Carex angustata). To differentiate these two sedges from Nebraska sedge, look at the nerveless (except on the margins) perigynia of water sedge and the 1-3 weak veins on the back of the perigynia of widefruit sedge.
Picture of growth habit.
Inflorescences contain 1 or 2 terminal, staminate spikes, and 3-5 lateral, pistillate spikes.
Close-up picture of perigynium and stigmas.
Illustration of Nebraska sedge. USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. <i>An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols</i>. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 1: 423.