Carex platyphylla Carey

Broadleaved sedge

Similar species

	You are here Carex platyphylla	Carex plantaginea
Common Name	broadleaved sedge	plantain-leaf sedge
Plant	Dense tufts have stems up to 1′ (38 cm) tall. The base of the plant is white to light brown.	Grows in dense tufts (cespitose). Culms (stems) are erect or arching. They are hairless and green. Leaves are all basal, emerging from a red-purple sheath. Since the leaves are evergreen, plants often appear beat-up in the spring.
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.	Leaves are evergreen, hairless, with a set of three parallel ribs, 6–17 ⨉ ¼–1¼″ (14–42 cm ⨉ 8–32 mm). Viewed in cross section, the leaves have a zig-zagged shape. They often have a rippled appearance, hence the common name “seer­sucker.” Leaves on the culms are smaller, reddish purple, and tubular.
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.	Each culm contains 2-4 pistillate (female) spikes and is topped by a single staminate (male) spike. The female spikes are ½–1½″ (1.3–3.8 cm) long, and roughly cylindrical. The male spike is reddish-purple, and up to ¾″ (1.9 cm) long. Blooming begins in mid-spring.
Fruit	Achenes are 1/16–⅛ ⨉ ~1/16″ (2.8–3 ⨉ 1.6–1.8 mm).	Achenes are about 1/16″ (2.5 mm) long, ovoid, and 3-angled.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Rich, mesic hardwood forests, and rocky slopes.	Rich deciduous forests, on wooded slopes and ravines, in calcerous soils. It is often associated with basswood and ferns.

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

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