Carex lurida

Carex lurida is a tussock-forming flowering plant of the family Cyperaceae, the sedge family.^[1] Common names for Carex lurida include shallow sedge, sallow sedge and lurid sedge.^[2]

Carex lurida
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Cyperaceae
Genus:	Carex
Species:	C. lurida
Binomial name
Carex lurida Wahlenb.
Synonyms
List Carex beyrichiana Boeckeler Carex lupulina var. polystachya Schwein. & Torr. Carex lurida var. altior Peck Carex lurida var. exudans L.H.Bailey ex Britton & A.Br. Carex lurida var. flaccida L.H.Bailey Carex lurida f. parvula (Paine) D.S.Carp. Carex lurida var. parvula (Paine) L.H.Bailey. Carex lurida var. polystachya (Schwein. & Torr.) L.H.Bailey Carex purshii Olney Carex rostrata Muhl. ex Willd. Carex tentaculata Muhl. ex Willd. Carex tentaculata var. altior Boott Carex tentaculata var. flaccida (L.H.Bailey) Howe Carex tentaculata var. parvula Paine Carex tentaculata var. rostrata Pursh

Description

Carex lurida is a clump-forming plant with a tuft of basal leaves and culms growing up to 90 cm in height. Leaves are a bright yellow-green colour, growing to about half the length of the stem. The inflorescence takes the form of large brush-shaped spikes, lime green in colour, turning golden brown as they ripen. The root system is rhizomatous, with fibrous roots.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

Carex lurida is a wetland plant, preferring marshy conditions such as sedge meadows, swamps and ditches.^[4] Its native range is Eastern Canada to Ecuador, and it has also been introduced to New Zealand.^[5]