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Carex calcifugens Naczi
Lime-fleeing Sedge
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G3
State Rank: S2?
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: High Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 6
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Rich bluff forests; evergreen maritime forests
Perennial, grass-like herb forming dense clumps of several plants connected by very short rhizomes. Vegetative stems are 9 - 18 inches (23 - 45 cm) tall, up to 1.6 times as tall as the flowering stems. Flowering stems are 5.5 - 14.5 inches (14 - 37 cm) tall, shorter than the vegetative stems. All stem bases are slightly reddish-purple for 1 - 2 inches (2.7 - 5.6 cm) above the ground. Leaves are narrow, less than 0.2 inch (4 mm) wide, and 6 inches long (6.1 - 15 cm) long; medium green, not grayish blue-green. Each flowering stem is topped by an inflorescence consisting of an erect, narrow, staminate (male, pollen-bearing) spike 0.3 - 1.4 inches (8 - 35 mm) long held at the top of the stem and 3 or 4 erect pistillate (female, fruit-bearing) spikes further down along the stem. Pistillate spikes contain 2 - 8, heavily veined, overlapping, oval sacs (perigynia), each tightly enclosing a tiny (2.6 - 3.4 mm long), 3-sided fruit (an achene). Beneath each perigynium there is a pale, papery, oval scale with a midvein extending into a bristle at the tip; the body of the scale (not including the bristle) is 2.2 - 3.0 mm long. The lowest pistillate spike is held at the very base of the stem.
Distinguishing among species of Carex usually requires some technical expertise and at least 10x magnification. Carex calcifugens can be fairly well distinguished in the field by a combination of these features: the vegetative stems are usually much taller than the flowering stems; the stem bases are only sparingly colored a reddish-purple hue; the leaves are narrow; female and male spikes are held in separate spikes with the staminate spike at the top of the stem and the pistillate spike lower down; the lowest pistillate spike is at the very base of the stem; the body (not including the bristle) of the perigynia scale is 2.2 - 3.0 mm long; and, the perigynia tightly envelop the achenes (i.e. they are not inflated).
Carex calcifugens is similar to C. oligocarpa (Few-fruited Sedge) which differs in that C. oligocarpa holds its lowest pistillate spike well above the base of the shoot, and its vegetative stems are shorter than or only slightly taller than the flowering stems.
Carex calcifugens often grows with two other Carex species:
C. abscondita also has vegetative stems that are much taller than the flowering stems, but it has brown (not purple or red) basal sheaths. Its leaves are often grayish blue-green, and its pistillate spikes are scattered, not overlapping.
C. striatula (Lined Sedge) stems are often leaning toward or resting on the ground and have upturned tips. It has tan or brown (not purple or red) basal sheaths, its leaves are often grayish blue-green, and its pistillate spikes are scattered, not overlapping.
Identification of Carex species should be confirmed with reference to a technical manual or herbarium specimens.
Forty-five species of Carex are rare in Georgia, see: https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/element_lists?group=plant
Detailed information about these 10 rare Carex species is provided on this website:
Acid-Loving Sedge (C. acidicola): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=34933
Baltzell's Sedge (C. baltzellii): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=15974
Granite Dome Sedge (C. biltmoreana): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=19146
Lime-fleeing Sedge (C. calcifugens): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=33655
Velvet Sedge (C. dasycarpa): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=15939
Cypress-knee Sedge (C. decomposita): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=21206
Meager Sedge (C. exilis): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=34936
Wretched Sedge (C. misera): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=16740
Radford’s Sedge (C. radfordii): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=15374
Roan Mountain Sedge (C. roanensis): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=21034
Thorne's Sedge (C. thornei): https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=34939
Carex calcifugens occurs in acidic soils in moist, deciduous forests on stream banks and on bluffs and slopes above rivers, and in Live Oak-dominated maritime forests on barrier islands.
Carex calcifugens is a perennial, clump-forming herb that reproduces by seed. It flowers and sets fruit in the spring. Like most sedges, it is wind-pollinated. Its small seeds are likely eaten by birds and other small vertebrates.
Flowering and fruiting stems are important to the identification of Carex calcifugens, which flowers and fruits in the spring. It usually occurs in small populations and often with C. abscondita and C. striatula.
Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It is rare throughout its range.
Carex calcifugens is threatened by commercial and residential development, logging, and conversion of habitat to pine plantations. As an inconspicuous sedge, it is likely to be overlooked or misidentified during surveys, leading to unintentional destruction.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Agriculture & aquaculture | Energy production & mining | Transportation & service corridors |
| Specific Threat | None | None | None |
Carex calcifugens is ranked S2? by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is imperiled in the state but that there is not sufficient information about the species to assign a definitive rank. It is documented from seven sites in Georgia: three on conservation land and four on privately owned land. It has not been documented in Georgia in several decades.
Protect mature hardwood forests and hammocks from conversion to commercial and residential development and pine plantations. Protect known populations from recreational vehicle traffic. Include species as targets during surveys of mature upland and bottomland forests.
Ball, P.W. and A.A. Reznicek. 2002. Species account for Carex calcifugens. Flora of North America North of Mexico, vol. 23. Accessed 3 August 2019. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101826
Bradley, K. 2016. Three photographs with location information for Carex calcifugens. Accessed 3 August 2019. https://www.flickr.com/photos/35605280@N05/27454350246/
GADNR. 2019. Element occurrence records for Carex calcifugens. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division. Social Circle, Georgia.
Naczi, R.F.C., C.T. Bryson, and T.S. Cochrane. 2002. Seven new species and one new combination in Carex (Cyperaceae) from North America. Novon 12: 508-532. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3393132?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
NatureServe. 2019. Species account for Carex calcifugens. NatureServe Explorer: an online encyclopedia of life, Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Accessed 8 June 2019. http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName= Carex+calcifugens
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm
Linda G. Chafin
Linda G. Chafin, 5 August 2019: original account
