Carex nigra

Carex nigra
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Secure  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Cyperaceae
Genus:	Carex
Subgenus:	Carex subg. Carex
Section:	Carex sect. Phacocystis
Species:	C. nigra
Binomial name
Carex nigra (L.) Reichard
Synonyms
List Carex acuta var. angustifoliaČelak. Carex acuta subsp. angustifoliaČelak. Carex acuta f. badiaSanio Carex acuta f. dilutaSanio Carex acuta var. macrocarpaČelak. Carex acuta f. melanolepisSanio Carex acuta var. minorSw. Carex acuta subsp. nigra(L.) Ehrh. Carex acuta var. nigraL. Carex acuta var. oxylepisSanio Carex acuta f. pseudosparganioidesČelak. Carex acuta f. stygiaSanio Carex acuta var. turfosaSanio Carex alboatraWilld. ex Kunth Carex alpinaHonck. Carex angustifoliaSm. Carex aquanigraB.Boivin Carex chlorocarpaWimm. Carex cespitosa var. alpinaGaudin Carex cespitosa var. curvataF.Fleisch. Carex cespitosa f. fuliginosaA.Braun Carex cespitosa var. goodenowii(J.Gay) Fiori & Paol. Carex cespitosa var. polymorphaLaest. Carex cespitosa var. rectaF.Fleisch. Carex cespitosa var. intricata(Tineo ex Guss.) Fiori & Paol. Carex cespitosa subsp. wiluica(Meinsh.) Krylov Carex compactaKrock. ex Hoppe Carex eboracensisNelmes Carex echinata subsp. angustifoliaČelak. Carex fumidaBeilschm. Carex fuscaAll. Carex gibsoniiBab. Carex goodenoughiiAsch. & Graebn. Carex goodenowiiJ.Gay Carex intermediaMiégev. Carex intricataTineo ex Guss. Carex juncella(Fr.) Th.Fr. Carex kolymaensisKük. Carex maackiiMeinsh. Carex malazenaSteud. Carex melaenaWimm. Carex melanolepisPhil. Carex navasiiMerino Carex obesaAll. Carex orbicularis var. caucasicaÖ.Nilsson Carex polyandraSchkuhr Carex rigida var. goodenowii(J.Gay) L.H.Bailey Carex rigida var. intricata(Tineo ex Guss.) Briq. Carex rigida subsp. intricata(Tineo ex Guss.) Nyman Carex rigida var. juncea(Fr.) L.H.Bailey Carex rigida var. strictiformisL.H.Bailey Carex rufaLam. Carex × spiculosa var. hebridensisA.Benn. Carex stoloniferaHoppe Carex subcaespitosa(Kük.) Wiinst. Carex transcaucasicaT.V.Egorova Carex vulgarisFr. Carex wiluicaMeinsh. Carex zonataF.Nyl. Vignantha vulgarisSchur Vignea cerinaRchb. Vignea cespitosa var. polygamaPeterm. Vignea chlorocarpaSchur Vignea compactaRchb. Vignea crassinervisSchur Vignea rigidaFuss Vignea vulgarisFuss

Carex nigra is a perennial species of plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae. Common names include: smooth black sedge, ^[3] black sedge and common sedge. ^[4]

Description

Carex nigra is a tussock-forming, evergreen perennial sedge, reaching up to 70cm in height. Leaves are bluish-green in colour. ^[5] Flower spikes and seed heads are purplish-black, appearing in early to late summer. ^[4]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to wetlands of Europe, western Asia, north Africa, ^[6] and eastern North America. ^[7] The eastern limit of its range reaches central Siberia, Turkey and the Caucasus. ^[8] It favours marshes, wetlands and alkaline fens. ^[9]

References

1. Lansdown, R.V. (2014). "Carex nigra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014 e.T164003A42343536. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T164003A42343536.en . Retrieved 10 December 2024.
2. NatureServe. "Carex nigra". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
3. NRCS. "Carex nigra". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2018-11-18.
4. "Black sedge (Carex nigra) Native Marginal plants". Wetland Plants. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
5. "Carex nigra - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
6. Benítez-Benítez, Carmen; Martín-Bravo, Santiago; Bjorå, Charlotte S.; Gebauer, Sebastian; Hipp, Andrew L.; Hoffmann, Matthias H.; Luceño, Modesto; Pedersen, Tyril M.; Reznicek, Anton; Roalson, Eric; Volkova, Polina; Yano, Okihito; Spalink, Daniel; Jiménez-Mejías, Pedro (July 2021). "Geographical vs. ecological diversification in Carex section Phacocystis (Cyperaceae): Patterns hidden behind a twisted taxonomy". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 59 (4): 642–667. Bibcode:2021JSyEv..59..642B. doi: 10.1111/jse.12731 . ISSN   1674-4918. S2CID   234024542.
7. Standley, Lisa A.; Cayouette, Jacques; Bruederle, Leo (2002). "Carex nigra". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 23. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2018-11-18– via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
8. "Carex nigra (L.) Reichard | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
9. "EUNIS -Factsheet for [Carex nigra] alkaline fens". eunis.eea.europa.eu. Retrieved 2025-02-15.