Carex scoparia Schkuhr ex Willd.
Pointed broom sedge, broom sedge
Pointed broom sedge is native to much of North America.
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Desperately Seeking Carex With close to 800 species in North America, and 2000 worldwide, many Carex species are difficult to identify. You might want to consult this quick guide to Carex anatomy. |
Plants: Stems are hairless, roughly 3-sided in cross section, and mostly erect.
Leaves: Alternate, with two to six leaves on the lower half of the stem. They are flat and hairless, and up to 1½′ long ⨉ 1/32–⅛″ wide (50 cm ⨉ 1.5–3 mm).
Flowers: Inflorescences are ¾–2″ (2–5.5 cm) long, usually upright or nodding. There are three to ten per stem. The spikes are positioned quite variables, crowded together or spaced further apart. Each spike is ellipsoid, somewhat football-shaped, tapering at both ends. They are ¼–⅝ ⨉ ⅛–¼″ (7–17 ⨉ 3–9 mm) in size. Each spike is gynecandrous—with staminate (male) flowers below, and pistillate (female) flowers above. The perigynia are lanceolate to elliptical, and ⅛–¼ ⨉ 1/32–1/16″ (3–8 ⨉ 1.2–2 mm) in size, more elongated than most.
Fruits: Achenes are 1/32–1/16 ⨉ ~1/32″ (1.3–1.7 ⨉ 0.7–0.9 mm) in size.
Habitats: Anthropogenic (human-disturbed) habitats, meadows and fields, wetland margins, ditches, and roadsides.
Online References:
References:
6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
6/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 
7/3/2012 · Yellow Trail from Pearl Hill State Park to Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 2½″ (8.9 × 6.4 cm) 
6/21/2017 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (14 × 12 cm) 
5/31/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) 
6/24/2024 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 3½″ (6.8 × 9.4 cm) 
6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain 
6/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 
5/31/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (11 × 15 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Commelinidae | Dayflowers and spiderworts, and several others |
| Order | Cyperales | Flowering plants including grasses |
| Family | Cyperaceae | Sedge family |
| Genus | Carex | The “true” sedges |
| Species | scoparia | Broom-like, alluding to the plant structure |
Carex scoparia description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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