Tag: Sedge

Rhynchospora latifolia (Sand-swamp Whitetop Sedge)

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Rhynchospora latifolia or the Sand-swamp whitetop sedge is a splendid-looking sedge species found in the southeastern states. Three species of whitetop sedges grow in the United States; two are native to the southeast state, while the third is endemic to Florida. Like other Sedge species belonging to the same family, distinguishing them is not easy. I am relying on the seeks app, which told me what species I had observed.

The whitetop sedge is a perennial plant growing in open grasslands and pine bogs; I took these photographs in the Green swamp preserve. Whitetop Sedge was possibly the most impressive plant that was not on my “to-see” list when I visited North Carolina. It was a pleasant surprise to walk into an open savannah covered with large white Inflorescences. It seems to attract many bumblebees; it was nearly impossible to photograph them without capturing a bumblebee working its way through the flowers!

  • A bumble bee forages showing its pollen baskets, or corbiculae

Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge, Oak Sedge)

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On a recent trip to long island, at the very beginning of spring I was treated to a still sleeping forest with very little grown vegetation. An exception were of course the Skunk cabbage, and these small sedges.

I had no knowledge of what a sedge actually looks like. Sedges is a family of monocots, grass-like flowering plants with over 5,500 known species, the largest belong the genus of Carex (true-sedges) comprising of over 2000 species.

Like grass, identifying a sedge species can be tough, I spent a good chunk of time looking at other images of similar species, like the Vernal Sedge to be pretty sure that what I documented was the common Pennsylvania Sedge. The Pennsylvania sedge is a perennial sedge that grows across north American, primarily Canada and Eastern US. The leaves can grow to two feet, this particular clump was observed in early spring.
The sedge spreads primarily vegetatively, spreading via Rhizomes. It grows in shady dry forests commonly found near oak trees.

It flowers through mid April to June. The flower cluster comprises of a single spike with a slender staminate (male) spike above one to three shorter pistillate (female) spikes each with 4 to 12 florets.

Pollination occurs by wind, a casual flick of a spike yields a plume of pollen. You can see some of the pollens that landed back on the spike after I gave it a little flick.