About Carex vaginata Tausch
This sedge, Carex vaginata Tausch, produces stems that grow up to 60 centimeters tall from a long rhizome. The stem is sheathed by the base of the bract just below the inflorescence, which is the characteristic that gives the plant its name. The inflorescence holds one terminal spike, and usually at least one additional lateral spike. This species reproduces by seed, by sprouting from the rhizome and stolons, and from buds at the bases of the stems. Its leaves measure 0.7 to 2.8 centimeters wide. It has a circumboreal distribution, found across the northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Its known range includes Alaska, almost all of Canada extending to Greenland, and Eurasia. In North America, it extends as far south as Minnesota and New York. This sedge grows in many types of moist and wet habitats, including tundra and boreal forests. It can grow in sandy, calcareous, acidic, and peaty soils. It may sometimes be found growing in snow, which may help protect it from dry and cold conditions.
