''Carex nigra'' is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

species of plant in the

sedge The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

family

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

. Common names include: smooth black sedge,black sedge and common sedge.

Description

''Carex nigra'' is a tussock-forming, evergreen perennial sedge, reaching up to 70cm in height. Leaves are bluish-green in colour. Flower spikes and seed heads are purplish-black, appearing in early to late summer.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to wetlands of Europe, western Asia, north Africa, and eastern North America. The eastern limit of its range reaches central

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

, Turkey and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. It favours marshes, wetlands and alkaline fens.

References

{{Authority control nigra Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus