Comments

The pistillate spikelet of this attractive sedge resembles a medieval mace. Because of this unusual characteristic, Gray's Sedge is fairly easy to identify. It is closely related to a less common sedge, Carex intumescens, which has a similar appearance. This latter species has pistillate spikelets that are less globoid (because its lowermost perigynia don't hang downward to the same extent as those of Gray's Sedge) and the base of each perigynium for this species is rounded, rather than wedge-shaped. Sometimes specimens of Gray's Sedge with pubescent perigynia are recognized as a distinct variety, or Carex grayi hispidula. The seeds are distributed in part by water because the inflated perigynia (within which the seeds are contained) can float on its surface. This is a characteristic of many other wetland sedges.