Plant Data Sheet
Species
Beaked Sedge, Carex rostrata
Range
Climate, elevation
The climate is often cool and semiarid, with a mean annual
precipitation of 12 inches (300 mm) (www.fs.fed.us).
Low to mid-elevation (Pojar and Mackinnon, 1994)
Local occurrence (where, how
common)
Very common in perennially wet areas (Pojar
and Mackinnon, 1994)
Habitat preferences
Most common in wet meadows, marshes, edges of lakes, ponds,
and streams, and other riparian areas (grows best on gentle slopes.) Adapted to
a variety of mineral and organic soils with a pH tolerance range of 3.0-7.9. Grows in areas where water is up to 32"
below the soil surface, as well as areas with standing water to 39" deep. Common in recently formed beaver ponds and on sites with a high
water table. (www.rook.org).
Plant strategy type/successional stage (stress-tolerator,
competitor, weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)
Facultative Seral Species (www.fs.fed.us). Beaked sedge is a frost-tolerant, prolific
seeder and is usually dominant or codominant where it
occurs. It has climax ecological status
on wet sites of the
Associated species
Other common names include: Inflated sedge and Retrose sedge
Also known as Carex exsiccata, Carex vesicaria, Carex retrorsa, and
Carex rostrata
var. ambigens (Pojar and Mackinnon
May be
collected as: (seed, layered, divisions, etc.)
Division
Collection restrictions or
guidelines
Shoots emerge between July and August but may also emerge in the fall. Flora primordia develop in August or September.
Seed germination (needs
dormancy breaking?)
Flowers May-August
Seed life (can be stored,
short shelf-life, long shelf-life)
Recommended seed storage
conditions
Propagation recommendations
(plant seeds, vegetative parts, cuttings, etc.)
By division.
Soil or
medium requirements (inoculum necessary?)
Installation form (form,
potential for successful outcomes, cost)
Recommended planting density
Care requirements after
installed (water weekly, water once etc.)
Normal rate of growth or
spread; lifespan
Begins producing new green leaves in early spring; growth at
this time is rapid. There is a decrease in root biomass, and most energy is
allocated to height increment. In July, when almost at its full height, energy
allocation is shifted to shoot production. Lifespan is 2-6 years (www.rook.org).
Sources cited
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/grass/carexros.html
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/carrot/botanical.html
Pojar, Jim and Andrew MacKinnon. 1994. Plants of the
Data compiled by (student
name and date)
Lara Johnson,