Carex longii Mackenzie, Cyperaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Long's sedge

Habit:  sedge

Description:  "Carex longii can be distinguished from other species of Carex in the Hawaiian Islands by the terminal moniliform-spicate inflorescence with ascending, closely appressed perigynia and green, herbaceous, prominently veined inner bands of the leaf sheaths. It can be characterized as follows: Densely tufted perennial, forming small to medium sized clumps; culms sharply triangular, (15-) 30-80 (-120) cm tall, scabrous on angles just below the inflorescence. Leaves linear, flat, usually shorter than the culms, 1.5-4 mm wide; sheaths pale green, closely surrounding the culm, the inner band green, herbaceous, prominently veined. Inflorescence a narrowly ovoid to oblong-ovoid, head- like cluster of (2-) 3-10 (-11) spikes, the axis usually obscured, the spikes silvery green to silvery brown, ovoid, 7-11 cm long, 5-8 mm wide, gynecandrous, sessile; bracts short; pistillate glumes pale brown or reddish brown, membranaceous, ovate, shorter and narrower than their perigynia, the apex obtuse to subacute. Perigynium membranaceous, pale brown, ascending, the beaks appressed, elliptic to rhombic, widest near the middle, 3-4.5 mm long, 1.7-2.5 mm wide, prominently several nerved, margins narrowly winged, scabrous toward the apex, the apex gradually narrowed to a beak ca. 1 mm long, the beak deeply bifid on dorsal side, shallowly 2-toothed on ventral side; stigmas 2. Achenes ovoid, lenticular, substipitate. Literature used in preparing description was Correll & Johnston (1970), Standley & Steyermark (1958), and Fernald (1950)." (Strong & Wagner, 1997).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Carex longii is native to North America, from Canada (Great Lakes Region and the Maritime Provinces) to New England , south to Florida and Texas. Sporadic throughout Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and Andean South America" (Strong & Wagner, 1997).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Strong, Mark T./Wagner, Warren L. (1997) (pp. 37-39) Vouchers cited: Rubtzoff 2720 (US), Carlson s.n. (BISH), Herbst 1705 (BISH), Stemmermann 7106 (BISH, US), Wagner et al. 5955 (BISH, US), Wagner et al. 5958 (BISH, US)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Strong, Mark T./Wagner, Warren L. (1997) (pp. 37-39) East Maui. Vouchers cited: Hobdy 1094 (BISH), Canfield & Stemmermann 791 (MICH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2010) (p. 35) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H90823 (BISH, PTBG)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. (1980) (p. 158) Voucher cited: Hikurangi, R. Cooper, R. Mason and N. Moar (AK 35898a)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Carex longii is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Carex longii as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Carex longii may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. 1980. Flora of New Zealand, Volume III: Adventive cyperaceous, petalous & spathaceous monocotyledons. Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. 220 pp.

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2010. New Hawaiian plant records from Maui County for 2008. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2008. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 107:33-40.

Strong, Mark T./Wagner, Warren L. 1997. New and noteworthy Cyperaceae from the Hawaiian Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1996. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 48:37-50.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.