''Carex pensylvanica'' is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family commonly called Pennsylvania sedge (sometimes shortened to Penn sedge). Other common names include early sedge, common oak sedge, and yellow sedge.

Distribution

This plant is native to North America, especially eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Based on a census of the literature, herbaria specimens, and confirmed sightings, ''C. pensylvanica'' is found in

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

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, and

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; and in the

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it is most widely distributed in

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, mainland

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and

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. it is also known from northern

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, the western

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, the mostly eastern

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, northern and southern

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, northern

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, western

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, mostly northern

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, northern and eastern

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, mostly central and eastern

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, and mostly central

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. It is also found in

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and the

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, and

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. It has been reported from just one county,

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, in the far northeastern portion of the state of

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Description

Pennsylvania sedge produces leaves up to long and wide that become arching at maturity. It has culms (stems) long. Pennsylvania sedge blooms early in the spring, from April to June. Each flower cluster contains one slender

staminate The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

(male)

spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (Broderick book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter ...

long above one to three shorter

pistillate Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ...

(female) spikes each with 4 to 12

floret This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

s. During the blooming period, the staminate spike produces slender cream-colored anthers, aging to light brown, and each pistillate floret produces three long white, thread-like styles. The scales underneath the florets are dark purple.

Ecology

This competitive species is often found in large monotypic stands. It is mainly vegetative, spreading via systems of cordlike

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

s. Shorter rhizomes produce tufts, clumps, and mats, and longer rhizomes form wide, matted colonies. In order to assess the dynamics of three stress factors on Carex pensylvanica development on forest beds, researchers conducted an experiment consisting of even-aged silvicultural systems. Combinations of deer herbivory, invasive earthworm activity, and forest management (human activity) were managed as the stressors. The study's findings demonstrated a direct correlation between elevated C. pensylvanica coverage and high disturbance levels, notably invasive earthworm-management-deer interactions, and invasive earthworm density. In hardwood forests in northern Minnesota, ''Carex pensylvanica'' were found to have a greater dominance in comparison to other understory plant species in areas where invasive earthworms were present for two decades or more. It is hypothesized that since ''Carex pensylvanica'' is a non-mycorrhizal plant species, it gains a comparative competitive advantage against other understory plant species when earthworms disrupt and sever mycorrhizal networks.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q5039118 pensylvanica Plants described in 1792 Flora of Western Canada Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of the Southeastern United States