Carex gracillima (Graceful sedge)

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Carex gracillima Schwein.

Graceful sedge

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
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	gracillima

About plant names...

Graceful sedge is common in damp forests and meadows, native throughout central and eastern North America.

Plants: Graceful sedge really is rather graceful, with long drooping spikes that emerge above the grasslike leaves. 8-36″ (20-91 cm) high.

Leaves: Basal, ⅛-⅜″ (3-10 mm) wide, and alternate. Leaves may be smooth or rough in texture. A sheath at the base of the plant is often red or purple in color.

Flowers: A stalk emerging above the leaves, 8-35″ (20-90 cm) long, contains both carpellate (seed-bearing) and staminate (pollen-bearing) flowers, with the carpellate ones uppermost. Each stalk has 2-5 spikes, each on a stem up to 1½″ (4 cm) long. Each spike is 0.0 mils (0 µm) × 0.0 mils (0 µm) in size.

Fruits: Carpellate spikes form seed clusters called achenes. Each such cluster is wrapped in a perigynium. They appear from late spring to mid-summer.

Online References:

Minnesota Wildflowers

Gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org

EFloras

6/1/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm)

5/24/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 4″ (7 × 10 cm)

	*Carex crinita*	*Carex gynandra*	You are here Carex gracillima
Common Name	drooping sedge	nodding sedge	graceful sedge
Plant	Up to 4½′ (1.4 m) tall.	Up to 4½′ (1.4 m) tall.	8-36″ (20-91 cm) high.
Flowers	Drooping narrow cylindrical heads up to 4½″ (11 cm) long and ¼″ (7 mm) in diameter. Carpellate scales are pale, truncate to notched at apex, with rough-textured awns. 1-3 staminate spikes per stem.	2-5 carpellate narrow, cylindrical spikes per stem. Each spike is ⅞-4″ (2.4-10 cm) long, ⅛-¼″ (3-9 mm) in diameter. Scales on the carpels are pale- to copper brown. There are 1-3 staminate spikes per stem.	A stalk emerging above the leaves, 8-35″ (20-90 cm) long, contains both carpellate (seed-bearing) and staminate (pollen-bearing) flowers, with the carpellate ones uppermost. Each stalk has 2-5 spikes, each on a stem up to 1½″ (4 cm) long. Each spike is 0.0 mils (0 µm) × 0.0 mils (0 µm) in size.
Leaves	M or U-shaped in cross-section, ⅛-⅜″ (4-10 mm) wide.	⅛-⅜″ (4-10 mm) wide, U-shaped.	Basal, ⅛-⅜″ (3-10 mm) wide, and alternate. Leaves may be smooth or rough in texture. A sheath at the base of the plant is often red or purple in color.
Stem	Triangular stem cross-section. *Basal leaf sheaths are smooth.*	Rough-textured, with a triangular cross-section. *Basal leaf sheaths are rough.*
Fruit	Perigynia are spreading, slightly inflated obovoid *(widest above the middle and truncate)*, 1/16-⅛″ (2-4 mm) long.	Perigynia are *oval-shaped, tapering to a small beak.*	Carpellate spikes form seed clusters called achenes. Each such cluster is wrapped in a perigynium. They appear from late spring to mid-summer.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Bottomland prairies, moist upland prairies, margins of bodies of water, spring branches, fens.	Marshes, wet forests, swamps, seeps, and roadside ditches. Perhaps a little more weedy and abundant in acidic soils than C. crinita.	Common in damp forests and meadows
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild