BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Carex livida | Pale Sedge 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Pale sedge is a native perennial that grows 4 to 20 inches (10-50 cm)
tall.  It spreads by long, slender rhizomes, forming small clumps.  The
leaves are thin, pale bluish-gray, and have a waxy coating.  The
staminate and pistillate spikes are separate [5,6,10].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Undisturbed State:  Cryptophyte (geophyte)
   Burned or Clipped State:  Cryptophyte (geophyte)


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Pale sedge regenerates primarily by rhizome spread [5,10] but can also
reproduce by sexual means [2].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Pale sedge grows in cold, calcareous bogs, poorly drained lowlands, and
wet peaty ground at low elevations in foothill and submontane zones.
The species is shade intolerant.  Plant associates may include sphagnum
moss (Sphagnum spp.), other sedges (Carex spp.), alpine clubmoss
(Lycopodium alpinum), and simple kobresia (Kobresia simpliciuscula)
[5,7,8,10,18].

Pale sedge occurs at elevations of 2,800 to 6,000 feet (850-1,850 m) in
Montana and in mountains up to 2,200 feet (710 m) in Alaska [2,4,15,18].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
In northwestern Montana, pale sedge flowers from May to July, and fruit
matures from late June to early August [8].

Related categories for Species: Carex livida | Pale Sedge