Carex pensylvanica · Cyperaceae — sedges
Watch the woodland floor in spring: small dark spikes suddenly sprout pale yellow anthers above fine green leaves.
Family: Cyperaceae — sedges
Habitat: Dry to moderately moist woods, woodland edges and savannas
Height: Flowering stems roughly 4–18 inches
Season: Early spring flowers; spring fruit
Look for low, fine-leaved tufts and a terminal male spike with yellow anthers. Smaller female spikes below it carry white threadlike styles. Leaves lengthen after flowering. A stronger identification combines these clues with red fibrous basal sheaths and small hairy fruit sacs.
The flowering spikes and growth form support the photographer’s Pennsylvania Sedge label. These are field-photo identifications; mature fruit and basal-sheath close-ups would help rule out similar woodland sedges.
Select a photograph for a larger view. Photographs by Brian Woolman.
Select a photograph for a larger view. Photographs by Brian Woolman.
This native perennial grows in woods, woodland edges and savannas, often on relatively dry ground. Rhizomes connect small tufts and allow patches to spread.
Those yellow brushes are pollen-bearing anthers. The plant can flower while the surrounding woodland floor still looks brown and quiet.
References: Species identification reference. Field photographs are compared with these references; they are not herbarium determinations.