Carex bigelowii Torr. ex Schwein.
Bigelow's sedge (stiff sedge)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Bigelow's sedge (stiff sedge)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial, clumped herb from short rhizomes; stems triangular with smooth edges, slightly rough below the inflorescence, 5-40 cm tall, exceeding the leaves.
Leaves:
Sheaths tight, short; blades flat, the margins rolled-under, well distributed along the stem, 4-6 mm wide, the lower ones slightly reduced.
Flowers:
The terminal spike with male flowers, the lower spikes 2 to 3, with female flowers, unstalked or with short stalks, 1-1.5 cm long, erect; lowermost bract subtending the spikes scalelike, sheathless, with black ear-shaped lobes, shorter than the inflorescence, the upper ones reduced.
Fruits:
Perigynia egg-shaped, 2-3.6 mm long, 0.8-2 mm wide, brownish-green, 3-angled, the angles rounded, smooth to somewhat wrinkled, beakless; female scales egg-shaped, shorter or longer than the perigynia, brownish-red to purplish-black, with lighter 3-nerved centres and translucent margins; stigmas 2; achenes lens-shaped, 1.1-1.3 mm long.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Green
Blooming Period:
Mid Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Carex bigelowii
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1557 | 1470 | 1644 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
4 | 0 | 10 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
287 | 125 | 318 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 4 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
5 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
ESSF(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet margins of streams and pools in the subalpine and alpine zones; infrequent in N BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to ME, NY, CO and ID; Greenland, Iceland, Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Carex bigelowii subsp. hyperborea (Drejer) Böcher
Carex consimilis T. Holm