Carex folliculata L.

Northern long sedge

Similar species

	You are here Carex folliculata	Carex intumescens
Common Name	northern long sedge	bladder sedge
Plant	Culms are trigonous—roughly triangular—in cross section. They are 1–5½′ (40–175 cm) tall.	Tufts are up to 2½′ (80 cm) high.
Leaves	W-shaped to flag, ⅛–¾″ (6–21 mm) wide.	Dark, parallel-veined, 4–10″ (10–25 cm) long, ⅛–¼″ (3.5–8 mm) wide.
Flowers	Inflorescences are 6–33″ (15–85 cm) long. A staminate (male) spike tops the culm. Three to five pistillate (female) spikes are spread quite sparsely along the culm. Each pistillate spike is comprised of carpellate scales and perigynia. The scales are about two-thirds the length of each perigynium. Perigynia are ⅜–½″ long ⨉ ¼″ wide (1–1.6 cm ⨉ 8 mm).	Inflorescences are ¾–6″ (2–15 cm) long. A narrow, dark brown staminate spike tops the culm, There are one to four nearly spherical or slightly cylindrical pistillate (female) spikes per stem. Each spike has 2-8 large teardrop-shaped perigynia, with the fat ends connected and the thin ends emerging in all directions. The appear during April to June. Fruits: Each perigynium contains a single achene ⅛″ (5 mm) long.
Fruit	Achenes are ~⅛ ⨉ 1/32–1/16″ (3.4–4 ⨉ 1.5–2.3 mm). They appear in late spring to summer.	Each perigynium contains a single achene ⅛″ (5 mm) long.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Wet forests, bogs, seeps, wet meadows, marsh edges, stream banks, lakeshores, in acidic, sandy, or peaty soils, at elevations below 1.1 mi (1.8 km).	Swamps, stream banks in oak and beech-maple forests, among edges of cedar, tamarack, spruce and fir forests

Carex folliculata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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