BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Carex pensylvanica | Yellow Sedge 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Yellow sedge is a native, low-growing, grasslike rhizomatous plant
[16,37].  The long and narrow leaves are 4 to 18 inches (10-45 cm) in
length, approximately the same height as the stems.  There are usually
two to four cauline leaves [11].  The rhizomes are cordlike and variable
in length [3,11].  They are usually found in the top 4 to 5 inches
(10-13 cm) of soil [37].

Yellow sedge occurs in clustered, resilient, persistent tufts [16,26].
It is characteristically found in extensive, pure stands [8].
  


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Hemicryptophyte
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Yellow sedge regenerates primarily by vegetative means [9].  Its long
rhizomes allow it to spread out and colonize nearby open areas.  The
short rhizomes are responsible for tuft or mat formation [5].

Yellow sedge is wind pollinated and reproduces by seed; however,
seedlings are rare [9,26].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Yellow sedge is common in forest understories and in open meadows
[1,26].  The topography is generally flat or gently rolling with slopes
rarely exceeding 10 percent [29,33].

Yellow sedge occurs on well-drained sites, with soils ranging from clay,
silty clay loam, sandy loams, to alluvial deposits [18,29,32].  Some
soil types are slightly acidic, relatively infertile, and may be of
coarse or fine texture [3,18,23].

Yellow sedge occurs in a wide range of climates.  It does best in dry
deciduous forests and grasslands or other dry, open areas [3].  It is
also relatively shade tolerant [11].  In the Appalachian Mountains
average annual precipitation is 54 inches (134 cm), but precipitation in
the savannas and prairies in the Midwest is lower [2,23].

Below is a listing of elevations at which yellow sedge occurs
[1,2,15,28,35]:
                      feet                  meters
Connecticut         4,300-7,000             1,590-2,593
New York              900-1,700               274 - 518
North Dakota        2,100-2,300               630 - 690
Michigan              910-1,205               275 - 365
West Virginia       1,100-1,200               330 - 690

Yellow sedge is associated with blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) and
huckleberries (Gaylussacia spp.) in many habitats [1,26].  In prairies
of the Midwest and East, common associates are big and little bluestem
(Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii and Schizachyrium scoparium),
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum
smithii), blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis), and threadleaf sedge
(Carex filifolia) [38].  In the Lake and New England states, it is
dominant in forest understory, and associated with jack pine (Pinus
banksiana), oaks (Quercus spp.), pines (Pinus spp.), blueberries and
huckleberries (Vaccinium spp. and Gaylussacia spp.), sugar maple (Acer
saccarum), and basswood (Tilia americana) [1,12,26].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative seral species

Yellow sedge is found in seral and climax communities.  It is usually
dominant in early seral stages, and surrounding shrubs and trees are
slow to invade [1].

Yellow sedge is a strong competitor in jack pine community types.
Yellow sedge increases on unburned, clearcut sites.  This increase
results in meadow dominance.  These carex meadows are labeled
"regressive succession" because their apparent stability may inhibit
further succession.  This is unique to lower north Michigan [1].

The Big Woods of Minnesota appear to be expanding at the expense of the
prairie.  This expansion can be controlled by implementing prescribed
fires [12].

Xeric oak forests established from logging and repeated burning of
presettlement pine in Michigan appear to be experiencing regressive
succession.  This is caused by failure of clearcutting and other
silvicultural methods to regenerate the oak forest stands.  The
regressive succession is toward pine or savannalike communities
dominated by yellow sedge [22].  Yellow sedge appears to be more
detrimental to black oak reproduction than to white oak [30].

In the literature, there was no indication or implication that yellow
sedge was a problem or needed to be controlled.


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Yellow sedge is a cool-season plant, and it makes one of the earliest
spring appearances of the Carices [1,11,34].  Growth begins in shoots
formed the previous autumn and early winter.  Yellow sedge leaves are
apparently functional during the winter, summer, and fall [5,12].

Yellow sedge flowers between mid-April and mid-May in southern Ontario
and in Iowa [11,23].  On the prairies, flowers of yellow sedge are
easily seen because the other grasses have not yet started to grow [34].

Maximum growth occurs during the cool, early part of the growing season
before other prairie grasses begin growth.  Yellow sedge completes its
life cycle before the onset of summer drought [34].  It is possible that
early flowering is an adaption to light requirements [5].

Shoots emerge in the fall [5].

Related categories for Species: Carex pensylvanica | Yellow Sedge