Flora of the Southeastern United States

Carex brunnescens (Persoon) Poiret var. sphaerostachya (Tuckerman) Kükenthal. Common name: Brown Sedge. Phenology: Jun-Jul. Habitat: Grassy balds, bogs, spruce-fir forests, northern hardwood forests, moist rock outcrops, at moderate to high elevations. Distribution: Var. sphaerostachya is eastern North American, ranging south to NJ, OH, MI, and MN, south to w. NC, e. TN, and n. GA. The report of this species from SC (Gaddy 1981; Kartesz 2009) is erroneous (Gaddy 2014).

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: Maguilla et al. (2015) did not find support for the recognition of two or more infraspecific taxa in C. brunnescens, but neither did their results falsify that hypothesis; we here retain the recognition of var. sphaerostachya as a lower latitude taxon restricted to ne. North America (and southwards in the Appalachian Mountains) pending more detailed study.

Synonymy ⓘ: = F, NE, Va; = Carex brunnescens (Pers.) Poir. ssp. sphaerostachya (Tuck.) Kalela — Can, FNA23, K4, NS, POWO, Tn; < Carex brunnescens (Pers.) Poir. — C, G, GrPl, Il, NY, Pa, RAB, S, W, Mackenzie (1931-1935), Maguilla et al (2015). Basionym: Carex canescens L. var. sphaerostachya Tuck. 1843

Links to other floras: = Carex brunnescens ssp. sphaerostachya - FNA23

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACW (name change)
• Great Plains: FAC (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
• Midwest: FACW (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACW (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)

Heliophily ⓘ: 5