Introductory
SPECIES: Carex chordorrhiza | Rope-Root Sedge 



ABBREVIATION : 
CARCHO

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   CACH5


COMMON NAMES : 
   rope-root sedge
   creeping sedge


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of rope-root sedge is Carex
chordorhiza L. [15].


LIFE FORM : 
Graminoid

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
Rope-root sedge is ranked by The Nature Conservancy as globally
widespread and secure (G5) but critically imperiled (S1) in the state of
Washington [17].  It is at the edge of its range and is rare in Glacier
National Park [8], and has an S1 state rank in Montana [12].


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Tara Y. Williams/August 1990


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Williams, Tara Y. 1990. Carex chordorhiza. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Carex chordorrhiza | Rope-Root Sedge 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Rope-root sedge is circumboreal.  Its range extends south in North
America to British Columbia, Montana, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and
Pennsylvania [7,10].  A disjunct population occurs in Okanogan County,
Washington [17].

Occurrence in Glacier National Park:  McGee's Meadow near Inside Road
[7].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES10  White - red - jack pine
   FRES11  Spruce - fir
   FRES15  Oak - hickory
   FRES18  Maple - beech - birch
   FRES44  Alpine


STATES : 
     AK  IA  IL  IN  ME  MI  MT  NY  OH  PA
     VT  AB  BC  SK  MB  NT  ON  PQ  YT


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     GLAC  INDU  ISRO  LACL  PIRO  YUCH


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
   8  Northern Rocky Mountains


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K052  Alpine meadows and barren
   K093  Great Lakes spruce - fir forest
   K096  Northeastern spruce - fir forest


SAF COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
NO-ENTRY

VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Carex chordorrhiza | Rope-Root Sedge 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
NO-ENTRY


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
In Glacier National Park, McGee's Meadow needs to be protected from
overuse by visitors and native ungulates [7].

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Carex chordorrhiza | Rope-Root Sedge 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Rope-root sedge has thick, cordlike roots.  It grows 4 to 20 inches
(10-50 cm) tall [11].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
NO-ENTRY


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Rope-root sedge grows in wet, calcareous meadows and in Sphagnum bogs
and similar wet sites in interdunal hollows and peaty ground at low
elevations [15].  The species is prevalent on wet sites where often
there is a high summer water table.  It is usually associated with other
sedges (Carex spp.) and cotton-sedges (Eriophorum spp.) [2,5,7,8,10,11].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
In a permafrost, subarctic bog in Manitoba, vegetation was stripped
during powerline construction.  After 7 years, frequency of rope-root
sedge was 12 percent on undisturbed plots and 14 percent on disturbed
plots, while aerial biomass was 27 pounds per acre (24 kg/ha) on the
undisturbed plots and only 3.4 pounds per acre(3 kg/ha) on the disturbed
plots [13].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Rope-root sedge flowers from early June through July in the Northeast
[11].  Mature fruit is present by late June and July in Montana [7].

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Carex chordorrhiza | Rope-Root Sedge 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
NO-ENTRY

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Carex chordorrhiza | Rope-Root Sedge 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
NO-ENTRY


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
NO-ENTRY


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Carex chordorrhiza | Rope-Root Sedge 



REFERENCES : 

 .  Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
       reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
       associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
       U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. 
       [434]

 .  Ebersole, James J. 1987. Short-term vegetation recovery at an Alaskan
       arctic coastal plain site. Arctic and Alpine Research. 19(4): 442-450. 
       [9476]

 .  Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
       Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p.  [905]

 .  Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
       1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
       ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p.  [998]

 .  Kershaw, K. A. 1974. Studies on lichen-dominated systems. X. The sedge
       meadows of the coastal raised beaches. Canadian Journal of Botany. 52:
       1947-1972.  [12966]

 .  Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
       of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
       American Geographical Society. 77 p.  [1384]

 .  Lesica, Peter. 1984. Rare vascular plants of Glacier National Park,
       Montana. Missoula, MT: University of Montana, Department of Botany. 27
       p.  [12049]

 .  Lesica, P.; Moore, G.; Peterson, K. M.; Rumely, J. H. (Montana Rare
       Plant Project). 1984. Vascular plants of limited distribution in
       Montana. Monograph No. 2. Montana Academy of Sciences, Supplement to the
       Proceedings, Volume 43. Bozman, MT: Montana State University, Montana
       Academy of Sciences. 61 p.  [11656]

 .  Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
       geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p.  [2843]

.  Schuyler, Alfred E. 1980. Carex chordorrhiza in Glacier National Park,
       Montana. Rhodora. 82: 519.  [12970]

.  Voss, Edward G. 1972. Michigan flora. Part I. Gymnosperms and monocots.
       Bloomfield Hills, MI: Cranbrook Institute of Science; Ann Arbor, MI:
       University of Michigan Herbarium. 488 p.  [11471]

.  Shelly, J. Stephen, compiler. 1990. Plant species of special concern.
       Helena, MT: Montana Natural Heritage Program. 20 p.  [12960]

.  Sims, R. A.; Stewart, J. M. 1981. Aerial biomass distribution in an
       undisturbed and disturbed subarctic bog. Canadian Journal of Botany. 59:
       782-786.  [8414]

.  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
       National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
       SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p.  [11573]

.  Voss, Edward G. 1972. Michigan flora. Part I. Gymnosperms and monocots.
       Bloomfield Hills, MI: Cranbrook Institute of Science; Ann Arbor, MI:
       University of Michigan Herbarium. 488 p.  [11471]

.  Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
       Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
       Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p.  [20090]

.  Washington Natural Heritage Program, compiler. 1994. Endangered,
       threatened, and sensitive vascular plants of Washington. Olympia, WA:
       Department of Natural Resources. 52 p.  [25413]

Related categories for Species: Carex chordorrhiza | Rope-Root Sedge