Carex scoparia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Poales

Familia: Cyperaceae
Subfamilia: Cyperoideae
Tribus: Cariceae
Genus: Carex
Species: Carex scoparia
Name

Carex scoparia Schkuhr ex Willd., Sp. Pl., ed. 4, 4: 230 (1805).
Synonyms

Homotypic
Vignea scoparia (Schkuhr ex Willd.) Rchb. in J.C.Mössler & H.G.L.Reichenbach, Handb. Gewächsk. ed. 2, 3: 1613 (1830).
Loncoperis scoparia (Schkuhr ex Willd.) Raf., Good Book: 27 (1840).
Heterotypic
Carex leporina Michx., Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 170 (1803), nom. illeg.
Carex ovalis Willd. ex Kunth, Enum. Pl. 2: 397 (1837), nom. illeg.
Carex scoparia var. moniliformis Tuck., Enum. Meth. Caric.: 17 (1843).
Carex scoparia var. vera Tuck., Enum. Meth. Caric.: 17 (1843).
Carex scoparia var. aggregata Dewey, Class-book Bot.: 416 (1845).
Carex lagopodioides var. scoparia Boeckeler, Linnaea 39: 114 (1875).
Carex scoparia f. elatior Peck, Rep. (Annual) Regents Univ. State New York New York State Mus. 48: 141 (1896).
Carex tribuloides var. moniliformis (Tuck.) Britton, Ill. Fl. N. U.S. 1: 356 (1896).
Carex scoparia var. condensa Fernald, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 37: 468 (1902).
Carex scoparia f. condensa (Fernald) Kük. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 20(38): 203 (1909), nom. illeg.
Carex scoparia f. moniliformis (Tuck.) Kük. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 20(38): 203 (1909).
Carex scoparia f. tenerrima Kük. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 20(38): 203 (1909).
Carex scoparia var. subturbinata Fernald & Wiegand, Rhodora 14: 116 (1912).
Carex scoparia f. peracuta Fernald, Rhodora 23: 234 (1922).
Carex scoparia f. subturbinata (Fernald & Wiegand) Fernald, Rhodora 44: 284 (1942).

Homonyms

Carex scoparia Torr., nom. illeg. = Carex muskingumensis Schwein.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Northern America
Alabama, Alberta, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Masachusettes, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward I., Qubec, Rhode I., South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Willdenow, C.L. 1805. Species Plantarum. Editio quarta. Tomus 4, pars 1. pp. [1]–629. Berolini: G.C. Nauk. BHL Biblioteca Digital Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Carex scoparia in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2020 Feb 02. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Carex scoparia. Published online. Accessed: Feb 02 2020.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Carex scoparia in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2020 Feb 02. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2020. Carex scoparia. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 02 Feb 2020.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Carex scoparia in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 08-Apr-12.

Vernacular names
English: broom sedge

Carex scoparia is a species of sedge known by the common names broom sedge and pointed broom sedge. It should not be confused with the unrelated grass species known as "broom sedge," Andropogon virginicus.
Distribution

This sedge is native to much of North America, including the southern half of Canada and most of the continental United States, from California to Maine.[1] Carex scoparia can be found in many types of wetland habitat, from meadows to irrigation ditches, though it is adaptable to varying soils and hydrologic conditions. It is an introduced species in New Zealand and parts of Europe.
Description

Carex scoparia produces dense clumps of stems 20 centimeters to one meter tall with narrow grasslike leaves up to about 30 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a cluster or open array of several bullet-shaped spikes of flowers. The spikes are light green and age to tan or brown. The fruit is covered in a sac called a perigynium which is light in color. The achene within the perigynium is ovate or elliptic.
References

"Carex scoparia". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2019.