Reznicek's Sedge Carex reznicekii in fruit. Scientific Name Family Name Carex reznicekii Werier Cyperaceae Sedge Family Photo credits: David Werier Did you know? This sedge was quite recently discovered, and described as a species new to science, during fieldwork in New York's Hudson Highlands. It was first discovered by New York botanist David Werier in 2006. It is named for Dr. Anton Reznicek of the University of Michigan, a Carex expert and enthuiast, in recognition of his ongoing teaching and research on sedges. Summary Protection Endangered in New York State, not listed federally. This level of state protection means: listed species are those with: 1) 5 or fewer extant sites, or 2) fewer than 1,000 individuals, or 3) restricted to fewer than 4 U.S.G.S. 7 ½ minute topographical maps, or 4) species listed as endangered by U.S. Department of Interior. Rarity G5, S1S2 A global rarity rank of G5 means: This species is demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. A state rarity rank of S1S2 means: Critically Imperiled or Imperiled in New York - Especially or very vulnerable to disappearing from New York due to rarity or other factors; typically 20 or fewer populations or locations in New York, very few individuals, very restricted range, few remaining acres (or miles of stream), and/or steep declines. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status. Conservation Status in New York There are only four known extant and one historical population of Carex reznicekii from southeastern New York, including Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley. This species is at the northerneastern edge of its range in New York with a few populations known from southern Connecticut and Rhode Island. It occurs in dry-mesic oak-hickory forests, which is a relatively common habitat. It also is difficult to identify after May, is a somewhat inconspicuous plant, and was only first described as a separate species in 2006. For these reasons, this species may be more common than current records indicate. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Reznicek's Sedge (Carex reznicekii)
Short-term Trends As it is a recently described species, we have no data on population trends for Carex reznicekii. Long-term Trends As it is a recently described species, we have no data on population trends for Carex reznicekii. Conservation and Management Threats The ecology of this newly discovered species is not yet well-studied. As it occurs in forested habitats, canopy removal is a potential threat. Conservation Strategies and Management Practices Sites with Carex reznicekii should be managed to protect the forest canopy and prevent the dominance of exotics in the understory or herb layer. Research Needs Additional inventory work is needed to determine the distribution and extent of this newly-discovered, early-fruiting, and easily-overlooked sedge. Habitat In New York Carex reznicekii grows in mesic to dry-mesic forests with rocky, shallow soils. It may prefer more calcareous, shaded, and lower-slope sites than Carex nigromarginata, though the two species' habitats overlap (New York Natural Heritage Program 2009, Werier 2006). Oaks are the dominant canopy trees at each of the four known New York sites (New York Natural Heritage Program 2009). Associated Ecological Communities Appalachian Oak-hickory Forest A hardwood forest that occurs on well-drained sites, usually on ridgetops, upper slopes, or south- and west-facing slopes. The soils are usually loams or sandy loams. This is a broadly defined forest community with several regional and edaphic variants. The dominant trees include red oak, white oak, and/or black oak. Mixed with the oaks, usually at lower densities, are pignut, shagbark, and/or sweet pignut hickory. Coastal Oak-heath Forest A low diversity, large patch to matrix, hardwood forest that typically occurs on dry, well-drained, sandy soils of glacial outwash plains or moraines of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The forest is usually codominated by two or more species of scarlet oak, white oak, and black oak. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Reznicek's Sedge (Carex reznicekii) 2
Other Probable Associated Communities Appalachian oak-pine forest Coastal oak-holly forest Oak-tulip tree forest Pitch pine-oak forest Associated Species Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum) Red Maple (Acer rubrum) Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) Narrow-leaved Wild Leek (Allium tricoccum) Berberis sp Bellow-beaked Sedge (Carex albicans var. albicans) Fibrous-root Sedge (Carex communis) Slender Wood Sedge (Carex digitalis) Blue Ridge Sedge (Carex lucorum) Black-edge Sedge (Carex nigromarginata) Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) Swan Sedge (Carex swanii) Umbel-like Sedge (Carex tonsa var. rugosperma) Mockernut Hickory (Carya alba) Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra) Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) Poverty Oatgrass (Danthonia spicata) Eastern Hay-scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) Wavy Hair Grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) Small-fruited Panicgrass (Dichanthelium dichotomum) Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) White Wood-aster (Eurybia divaricata) White Ash (Fraxinus americana) Licorice Bedstraw (Galium circaezans) Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) Rattlesnake Hawkweed (Hieracium venosum) American Holly (Ilex opaca) Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) Common Woodrush (Luzula multiflora ssp. multiflora) Whorled Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia) Canada May-flower (Maianthemum canadense) Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) Bulbous Bluegrass (Poa bulbosa) Common Solomon's-seal (Polygonatum biflorum) Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) Canada Cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis) Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) White Oak (Quercus alba) Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana) NYNHP Conservation Guide - Reznicek's Sedge (Carex reznicekii) 3
Red Oak (Quercus rubra) Black Oak (Quercus velutina) Pink Azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides) Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) Roundleaf Greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia) Rough-leaf Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa) Windflower (Thalictrum thalictroides) New York Fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis) Eastern Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) Early Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum) Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) Identification Comments Carex reznicekii is a densely tufted, evergreen, grass-like perennial. Its widest leaves are 1.2 to 2.2 (up to 2.4) mm wide. Its fruiting stalks (culms) are short, and often hidden by overlaying leaves near the base of the plant. The terminal spike is staminate, and the flowers and fruits occur in tight clusters (spikes) at the top of these culms. Although often hidden near the base of the plant, upon close inspection the spikes are not truly basal but rather arise singly from the nodes of the culms. The perigynia (fruit) are 2.5 to 3.9 mm long and 3-sided, with two prominent nerves extending their full length, the distal (away from the stem) end narrowed into a distinct beak. Best Life Stage for Identifying This Species Mature fruits are preferred for positive identification of this species. The Best Time to See The fruits are visible from late April through May. Fruiting Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Similar Species The time of year you would expect to find Reznicek's Sedge in New York. The two species most likely to be confused with Carex reznicekii are C. nigromarginata and C. umbellata. C. reznicekii differs from C. nigromarginata by having narrower leaf blades (generally 1.2 to 2.2 millimeters wide, as compared to 2.3 to 4.5mm wide for C. nigromarginata) and less reddish to purplish black color on the pistillate scales (which usually extends from the margin nearly to the mid-vein on C. nigromarginata.) It differs from C. umbellata by its lack of basal spikes, staminate spikes which have 2 to 4 pistillate NYNHP Conservation Guide - Reznicek's Sedge (Carex reznicekii) 4
spikes (versus 0 to 2 for C. umbellata), and staminate spikes extending no more than 3.7 millimeters past the pistillate spikes (versus staminate spikes extending up to 9.0 millimeters past the pistillate ones (if present) for C. umbellata). Carex albicans and C. novae-angliae each have narrow leaves like those of C. reznicekii. C. albicans is rhizomatous rather than clump-forming, and has longer fruiting stalks. C. novae-angliae tends to fruit later (in June and July) than C. reznicekii, and has shorter (2.2 to 2.6 millimeters), nerveless perigynia. Taxonomy Kingdom Phylum Class Plantae Anthophyta Order Monocots (Monocotyledoneae) Family Cyperales Additional Resources Links Cyperaceae (Sedge Family) New York Flora Atlas http://www.newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu/plant.aspx?id=1216#http://www.newyork.plantatlas. usf.edu/plant.aspx?id=1216 Google Images http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=reznicekii&gbv=2 Flora of North America http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=10246 Best Identification Reference Werier, David A. 2006. Carex reznicekii, a new widespread species of Carex Section Acrocystis (Cyperaceae) from eastern North America. SIDA 22(2): 1049-1070. References Crins, W.J. and J.H. Rettig. 2002. Carex Linnaeus sect. Acrocystis Dumortier. Pages 532-545 in Flora of North America Editorial Committee (editors), Flora of North America, north of Mexico, Volume 23, Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA. 608pp + xxiv. Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp. Holmgren, Noel. 1998. The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L. 1995. Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery, NYNHP Conservation Guide - Reznicek's Sedge (Carex reznicekii) 5
and map unit tables. NatureServe. 2005. NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA New York Natural Heritage Program. 2010. Biotics database. New York Natural Heritage Program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, NY. Reschke, C. 1990. Ecological communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Latham, NY. 96 pp. Weldy, T. and D. Werier. 2010. New York flora atlas. [S.M. Landry, K.N. Campbell, and L.D. Mabe (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research http://www.fccdr.usf.edu/. University of South Florida http://www.usf.edu/]. New York Flora Association http://wwws.nyflora.org/, Albany, New York Weldy, Troy W. and David Werier. 2009. New York Flora Atlas. [S.M. Landry and K.N. Campbell (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research. University of South Florida]. New York Flora Association, Albany, NY. Available on the web at (http://www.newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu/). New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-4757 Phone: (518) 402-8935 acris@nynhp.org This project is made possible with funding from: - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program - Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Information for this guide was last updated on Aug 18, 2017 This guide was authored by NYNHP Conservation Guide - Reznicek's Sedge (Carex reznicekii) 6