Carex platyphylla (Broadleaved sedge)

Carex platyphylla Carey

Broadleaved sedge

Broadleaved sedge is native to north central and eastern North America.

Plants: Dense tufts have stems up to 1′ (38 cm) tall. The base of the plant is white to light brown.

Leaves: Lanceolate, very wide for sedges, with a whitish, waxy coating, up to 9″ long ⨉ ⅜–1″ wide (22 ⨉ 1.1–2.8 cm). They are somewhat W-shaped in cross section.

Flowers: Inflorescences have two to four spikes. Pistillate (female) spikes typically have 2-4 perigynia per spike, with the spike nestled in a bract. The perigynia are 3-sided in cross-section, and 1/16–⅛″ (3–3.2 mm) long.

Fruits: Achenes are 1/16–⅛ ⨉ ~1/16″ (2.8–3 ⨉ 1.6–1.8 mm).

Habitats: Rich, mesic hardwood forests, and rocky slopes.

Similar species.

Online References:

Go Botany

Flora of North America

References:

Arsenault, Matt; Mittelhauser, Glen H.; Cameron, Don; Dibble, Alison C.; Haines, Arthur; Rooney, Sally C.; and Weber, Jill E., Sedges of Maine: A Field Guide to Cyperaceae, University of Maine Press, 2013, p. 144

Jenkins, Jerry, Sedges of the Northern Forest: A Photographic Guide (The Northern Forest Atlas Guides), Comstock Publishing Associates, 2019, p. 44

5/28/2016 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, ID is uncertain

4/22/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (21 × 15 cm)

6/13/2017 · Old Long Loop, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 5 × 5″ (13 × 13 cm)

5/28/2016 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, ID is uncertain

6/13/2017 · Old Long Loop, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
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	platyphylla	Broad-leaved

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