Straw Sedge. Summary. Protection Endangered in New York State, not listed federally.

Transcription

1 Straw Sedge Scientific Name Family Name Carex straminea Willd. ex Schkuhr Cyperaceae Sedge Family Did you know? The specific epithet straminea means straw colored (Fernald 1970). It is unclear why this epithet was applied to this species. Summary Protection Endangered in New York State, not listed federally. This level of state protection means: listed species are those with: 1) 5 or fewer extant sites, or 2) fewer than 1,000 individuals, or 3) restricted to fewer than 4 U.S.G.S. 7 ½ minute topographical maps, or 4) species listed as endangered by U.S. Department of Interior. Rarity G5, S1S2 A global rarity rank of G5 means: This species is demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. A state rarity rank of S1S2 means: Critically Imperiled or Imperiled in New York - Especially or very vulnerable to disappearing from New York due to rarity or other factors; typically 20 or fewer populations or locations in New York, very few individuals, very restricted range, few remaining acres (or miles of stream), and/or steep declines. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Straw Sedge (Carex straminea)

2 Conservation Status in New York There are five known populations and possibly up to 50 historical locations; however, there has been much taxonomic confusion with this plant and all voucher specimens should be verified. Of the known populations, only one has more than a hundred plants and three are of questionable viability. As a species of freshwater marshes, this is threatened by Phragmites, purple loosestrife, and other invasive species. Short-term Trends Only a handful of populations have been seen in recent years. Most of these are quite small although at least one population has over 500 plants. It is unknown if the small populations indicate a decline. Therefore, short term trends are unclear. Long-term Trends There are at least 50 reported or vouchered populations that have not been seen in recent years. Many of these populations may have been misidentified in the past and may not be populations of C. straminea. Two populations are believed extirpated due to habitat loss. Vouchers for these populations should also be confirmed to determine if these populations were truly C. straminea populations. Overall, long term trends are unclear. Conservation and Management Threats At one population there are a few potential threats including nutrient enrichment from agricultural run off, trampling by people fishing, flooding of the habitat by beaver, and development of the wetland edges. Conservation Strategies and Management Practices Habitat at one populations needs to be protected from flooding by beaver and trampling by people. Additionally, this site needs to be secured from development. Before these management practices are implemented, voucher specimens need to be verified. Research Needs All voucher specimens should be verified. After verification of specimens, historical populations should be surveyed to determine if they are still extant. Habitat In New York, Carex straminea is known from swamp margins and marshes. One population is in a wet field at sea level and the water is probably brackish. Other sites are from drier situations. Specimens documenting these habitats especially the brackish and upland habitats need to be verified as they may be misidentified (New York Natural Heritage Program 2006). Freshwater marshes, shores, and swales, wet woods, in sandy or peaty, acidic soils (Mastrogiuseppe et al. 2002). Non-saline swamps and wet meadows (Gleason & Cronquist 1991). Marshes and swamp borders (Voss 1972). Fresh swamps and swales (Fernald 1970). In acid soils in swampy NYNHP Conservation Guide - Straw Sedge (Carex straminea) 2

3 woodlands (Mackenzie ). Associated Ecological Communities Shallow Emergent Marsh A marsh meadow community that occurs on soils that are permanently saturated and seasonally flooded. This marsh is better drained than a deep emergent marsh; water depths may range from 6 in to 3.3 ft (15 cm to 1 m) during flood stages, but the water level usually drops by mid to late summer and the soil is exposed during an average year. Other Probable Associated Communities Red maple-hardwood swamp Shrub swamp Associated Species Bristly Sedge (Carex comosa) Hairy Swamp Loosestrife (Decodon verticillatus) Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) Rice Cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides) Green Arrow-arum (Peltandra virginica) Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) Identification Comments Straw sedge is a tufted grass-like perennial. Leaves are mm wide. As with other members of section Ovales some stems have flower/fruit clusters (spikes) at the apex of the stems (reproductive stems) and some stems lack these structures (vegetative stems). The vegetative stems are conspicuous and have numerous leaves on them. Reproductive stems are cm tall and have 3-4 leaves on the lower part of the stems. At the apex of these stems are 3-7 stalkless somewhat round clusters of flowers/fruits (spikes). The spikes are widely spaced and the upper flowers in these spikes are female and the lower male. The female flowers develop into fruits (perigynia) which are round and taper to a beak at their apices. They are mm long and mm wide (Mackenzie , Mastrogiuseppe et al. 2002). Best Life Stage for Identifying This Species Just immature or mature perigynia are essential for confident identification of C. straminea. The whole plant can be useful in identification and should be collected. The Best Time to See Carex straminea starts to produce immature perigynia in early July. These mature and persist into mid-august. Toward the end of this season the fruits are starting to shed easily. Therefore, the best time to survey for this species is from July through early August. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Straw Sedge (Carex straminea) 3

4 Fruiting Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Similar Species The time of year you would expect to find Straw Sedge in New York. Carex argyrantha and C. foenea also have nodding inflorescences. These two species have pistillate scales which consistently are longer that the tips of the perigynia. Carex tenera which also has nodding inflorescences has perigynia ovate to broadly ovate and narrower [ (-2.0) mm wide]. In comparison, C. straminea has perigynia somewhat orbiculate and wider [ mm wide]. Carex hormathodes is somewhat similar. It has spikes ellipsoid, the pistillate portions gradually tapering at their bases, and the staminate portions of the spikes equal to or less than 2 mm long. In comparison, C. straminea has spikes globose, the bases of the pistillate portions abruptly tapering at their bases, and the staminate portions of the spikes 2-6 mm long. In addition, C. hormathodes has shorter beaks, perigynia bodies lance-ovate to barely obovate, and grows in maritime areas often getting some salt spray. C. straminea has longer beaks, perigynia bodes somewhat orbiculate, and grows in freshwater wetlands. Conservation Comments Carex straminea is in section Ovales. The name C. straminea has been incorrectly applied at times to C. tenera (Mastrogiuseppe et al. 2002). Some specimens labeled as C. straminea in New York have been determined to be other species including C. albolutescens. This maybe in part because C. albolutescens is considered a synonym of C. straminea by Mackenzie ( ) and the name C. straminea was misapplied by Mackenzie to C. albolutescens. In addition, many species used to be considered varieties of C. straminea including C. tenera sensu lato (C. straminea var. echinodes), C. normalis (C. straminea var. mirabilis), C. cumulata (C. straminea var. cumulata), C. brevior (C. straminea var. brevior), C. foenea (C. straminea var. foenea), C. festucacea (C. straminea var. festucacea), and more (Mackenzie ). Therefore, all specimens of C. straminea should be examined critically to determine their true identification. Taxonomy Kingdom Phylum Class Plantae Anthophyta Order Monocots (Monocotyledoneae) Family Cyperales Cyperaceae (Sedge Family) NYNHP Conservation Guide - Straw Sedge (Carex straminea) 4

5 Additional Common Names Sedge Synonyms Carex albolutescens (Schwein.) Carex richii ((Fern.) Mackenzie) Carex siccata (Dewey) Additional Resources Links USDA Plants Database CAREX+STRAMINEA NatureServe Explorer Google Images New York Flora Atlas Flora of North America Best Identification Reference Mastrogiuseppe, J., P.E. Rothrock, A.C. Dibble, and A.A. Reznicek Carex Linnaeus sect. Ovales Kunth. Pages in Flora of North America Editorial Committee (editors), Flora of North America, north of Mexico, Volume 23, Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA. 608pp + xxiv. References Fernald, M.L Gray's manual of botany. 8th edition. D. Van Nostrand, New York pp. Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp. Holmgren, Noel The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery, and map unit tables. Mackenzie, K.K Cariceae. North American Flora 18: Mitchell, Richard S. and Gordon C. Tucker Revised Checklist of New York State Plants. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Straw Sedge (Carex straminea) 5

6 Contributions to a Flora of New York State. Checklist IV. Bulletin No New York State Museum. Albany, NY. 400 pp. NatureServe NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA New York Natural Heritage Program Biotics database. New York Natural Heritage Program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, NY. Reschke, Carol Ecological communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Latham, NY. 96 pp. plus xi. Voss, E.G Michigan Flora, Part I. Gymnosperms and Monocots. Cranbrook Institute of Science Bulletin 55 and the University of Michigan Herbarium. Ann Arbor. 488 pp. Weldy, T. and D. Werier New York flora atlas. [S.M. Landry, K.N. Campbell, and L.D. Mabe (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research University of South Florida New York Flora Association Albany, New York New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY Phone: (518) acris@nynhp.org This project is made possible with funding from: - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program - Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Information for this guide was last updated on Aug 18, 2017 This guide was authored by NYNHP Conservation Guide - Straw Sedge (Carex straminea) 6