BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Carex saxatilis | Russet Sedge 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Russet sedge, a native perennial grasslike plant, grows 8 to 30 inches
(20-80 cm) tall.  It is a turf-forming, perennial sedge with
well-developed, creeping rhizomes.  It has separate staminate and
pistillate spikes.  The achenes are trigonous. [7,9,21].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Russet sedge reproduces vegetatively by rhizomes and sexually by seed
[7].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Russet sedge grows in wet meadows and boggy areas, especially near
streams and lakes at high elevations [9,13,19,21].  It is often a
codominant in water sedge associations [16,17].  It is more common on
wetter than less wet sites [11].  Russet sedge grows on poorly developed
soils along shores and on organic substrates [7,16].  The water level
may be aboveground through spring and early summer [17].  Its
elevational range is 9,300 to 12,000 feet (2,835-3,660 m) in Utah and
Colorado and 4,800 to 5,600 feet (1,465-1,710 m) in Montana [2].

Russet sedge is often associated with water sedge and other sedges
(Carex spp.), bluejoint reedgrass (Calamagrostis canadensis), tufted
hairgrass (Deschamsia caespitosa), variableleaf pondweed (Potamogeton
gramineus), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), lodgepole pine (Pinus
contorta), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), and quaking aspen
(Populus tremuloides) [16,17].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Russet sedge has mature fruit in late July and August [13].

Related categories for Species: Carex saxatilis | Russet Sedge