Scientific Name
Carex microptera Mack. (Synonyms: Carex festivella; Carex limnophila)
Common Name(s)
Smallwing sedge
Tribe / Family Name
Cyperaceae
Flowering Period
June to September
Symbol
CAMI7
Description
Smallwing sedge is a native cool-season perennial bunched grass-like plant. Culms range from 20–110 cm in height and has an erect growth habit with sharply triangular (3-angled) stems that exceed the leaves. Inflorescences are usually up to 20 mm long, up to 16 mm wide with 5–10 sessile spikes that are closely crowded into finely-textured globose-ovoid heads; usually conspicuously bicolored; spikes are gynaecandrous. Bracts are sheathless, reduced, awn-tipped, not much different from the pistillate scales, and shorter to somewhat longer than the inflorescences. Perigynia are usually 3.5–5 mm long, up to 2 mm wide, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, more or less flattened without a distinctly convex side, strongly winged-margined to the base, serrulate to the middle, light green to light brown (typically paler than the pistillate scales), and lightly or obscurely several-nerved on both sides; beaks are unwinged at the tips, serrulate except distally, obliquely cleft, obscurely bidentate or entire, and dark-colored at the tips. Pistillate scales are ovate-lanceolate, acute to obtuse, light to dark brown with a paler midstripe and margins, and narrower and shorter than the perigynia. Stigmas 2. Fruits are achenes, lenticular, and brown at maturity. Leaves are 10–50 cm long, up to 5 mm wide, 3–5 per culm, flat or nearly so, green, and basal and cauline. Sheaths are tight, white-hyaline adaxially, and truncate at mouth.
General Info
Smallwing sedge can be found along shores of streams and lakes, in moist to wet meadows, springs, grasslands, pastures, parkland, open forests, valleys, and montane to subalpine sites.
Similar Species
Smallwing sedge can look similar to other sedge (Carex) species, especially chamisso sedge (Carex pachystachya). To differentiate the two, look for the fine-textured inflorescences with flat perigynia of smallwing sedge, and the rough-textured inflorescences with fewer, thicker perigynia of chamisso sedge.
Picture of growth habit.
Inflorescences contain 5-10 sessile spikes that are closely crowded into finely-textured globose-ovoid heads.
Close-up picture of perigynium. Note the two stigmas at the tip of the perigynium.
Illustration of smallwing sedge. Glen Cole, 2017.