Carex praegracilis W. Boott   Cyperaceae (Sedge Family)   Native & S. America   Clustered Field Sedge

                                         March Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Grasslike plant, perennial, sometimes dioecious; rhizome 2-5 mm. thick; culms 2-7.5 dm. tall, sharply triangular, usually overtopping the leaves, sometimes quite strongly; leaf blades 1-3 mm. wide, erect-ascending, flat or somewhat channeled, light green; basal leaf sheaths dark brown or blackish; spikes closely aggregated, but the lower ones readily distinguishable and somewhat separate in a linear-oblong or oblong-ovoid head, 1-5 cm. long, 6-10 mm. thick; scales with conspicuous hyaline margins and lighter mid-vein, the lower scales cuspidate, the upper ones acuminate, concealing the perigynia, bracts absent or the lower 1 or 2 present, usually shorter than the head; perigynia, plano-convex, ovate or ovate-lanceolate straw-colored or at maturity brownish-black, coriaceous, dull nerveless ventrally, lightly severally-nerved dorsally, spongy and rounded at the base, sharp edged, serrulate above the middle, tapering at apex into a beak 1/3-1/2 as long as body, the beak serrulate.

Habitat:  Wet meadows and streams throughout Calif. at middle to low elevs.; Channel Ids.; Western N. America.

Name:  Carex is the classical Latin name.   (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 884).  Latin, prae, before and gracilis, slender.      (Jaeger 112,206).   The species name may refer to the slender culms.

General:  Uncommon in the study area.  Found in one large colony at 23rd Street.  In 1994 the County of Orange constructed a new walking path more or less parallel to Irvine Ave.  The toe of the bank supporting the path in the 23rd St. area destroyed the Carex praegracilis colony.  Every time I walk through this area I look for Carex plants but as of this edit, 2002, I have found none.  (my comments).     Carex spp.  were used by the Indians for wrapping elements of basket wefts.  (Heizer & Elsasser 243).     The roots of C. mendocinoensis were used for basket making.  These roots, 5-6 ft. in length were soaked overnight in water, the weaver then peeled off the bark or outer skin and rolled it into small coils.  The remaining root was split for foundation material.  No mention is made of what the coils were used for.  (Murphy 6).     The root of C. ex-siccata was used to produce a black dye.  The root was burned in warm ashes with water added.  (Murphy 8).     C. nebraskensis was the favorite food of the buffalo.  (Murphy 51).    Buffalo grass?  (my question).     The largest genus of flowering plants in Calif.  (Munz, Calif. Flora 1429).     Jepson describes 126 different species of Carex living in Calif.  (Robbins et al. 114).      A genus of over 1000 species.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 884).       Carex species have been know to cause hay fever and asthma.  (Fuller 381).      Many species are invasive, especially those with rhizomes.  This is one of the most effective genera for knitting moist or wet soil.  (Hickman, Ed. 1107).      Reconfirmed identity by keying a specimen in May 1994.  (my comment).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 1132; Mason 223; Munz, Calif. Flora 1438; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 893; Roberts 42.

Photo Ref:  May 3 84 # 6,7; March-April 87 # 14.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

First Found:  May 1984.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 18.

Have Plant Specimen.

Last edit 5/6/05.

                     May Photo                                                                     May Photo