BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Carex rossii | Ross' Sedge 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Ross' sedge is a native, long-lived perennial graminoid [15].  The stems
are reddish at the base and occur in bunches, forming medium-sized
clumps [24].  The stems are 2 to 12 inches (5-30 cm) tall, often
equaling or exceeding the leaves.  The leaves are thin, flat, and
narrow.  Its fruit is an achene [16].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Hemicryptophyte
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Ross' sedge reproduces by rhizome growth and by seed production [9,14].
It is wind pollinated.  Seeds buried less than 1.5 inches (4 cm) deep
are capable of germination, but germination was best following heat
treatment.  Seed may remain dormant for long periods of time prior to
germination [37].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Ross' sedge occurs at dry, well-drained sites.  Typical climates are
boreal, temperate, cool, semiarid, mesothermal, and xerophytic [15,31].
Ross' sedge is most commonly associated with xeric grasslands, aspen
parkland, open woods, and disturbed or exposed sites of montane and
subalpine regions [15,24,31].

Soil types are shallow, dry to moderately dry, coarse or fine textured,
ranging from sandy loam to clay loam [15,17,21,43].  They may be
unstable or compact, mildly saline, nitrogen moderate, with a pH range
of 6.0 to 6.7 [15,17,21].  Ross' sedge occurs sporadically on stony or
rocky soils [21].  Slopes generally range from 0 to 35 percent [17].
Precipitation is variable.  Ross' sedge prefers a southern aspect, but
it will grow on other aspects [34].

Ross' sedge grows at a variety of elevations but is a strong competitor
at lower elevations [44].  Below are some elevations at which Ross'
sedge occurs [9,15,30,37,43]:

                          feet              meters
California                 0-12,400              0-3,760
Colorado               5,500-12,000          1,670-3,640
Montana                4,300- 9,500          1,300-2,880
Oregon                 4,225- 4,620          1,280-1,400
Utah                   6,000-12,000          1,820-3,640
Washington             3,000- 5,800            910-1,760
Wyoming                4,800- 9,800          1,455-2,960

In forest habitats, Ross' sedge is sparse but dominant [17].  These
habitats are usually low in timber productivity, potential for
improvement, and water productivity [1,17,27].

In addition to those previously listed under Distribution and
Occurrence, Ross' sedge associates include:  mountain maple (Acer
spicatum), blue huckleberry (Vaccinium globulare), snowbrush (Ceanothus
velutinus), brittlebrush (Purshia tridenta), sagebrush (Artemisia spp.),
gland cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa), elk sedge (Carex geyeri),
bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum), pinegrass (Calmagrostis rubescens),
Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), and squirreltail (Elymus elymoides)
[12,17,34,44].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Obligate Initial Community Species

Ross' sedge is most common in early seral communities and unstable
situations [31,34].  It is an aggressive pioneer of hostile sites and is
partially shade tolerant [15].  Ross' sedge is often replaced by larger
shrubs and trees as succession progresses [31,34,44].

In a study by Zamora [44], Ross' sedge was dominant for 3 years
following clearcut and broadcast burning.  By year 8, it was codominate
with shrubs but was still dominant at lower elevations and less-shaded
sites; by year 12 it was subdominant; and by year 23 it was rare.

Ross' sedge occurs but is not very common in climax habitats [27,29].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Growth begins in spring.  Flowering occurs between May and June [9].
Seeds are possibly produced in early July.  Seedlings emerge in late
fall or early winter [18].

Related categories for Species: Carex rossii | Ross' Sedge