Description
Potentially Misidentified Species- Local botanists, unware of the introduction, could misidentify Carex extensa (Long-Bracted Sedge) as Carex longi (Long's Sedge), using local keys (Strong 1995). At least 20 native and 4 introduced species of Carex have been reported from tidal waters of the Bay (Krauss et al. 1971; Wass 1972; Sipple 1978; Brown and Brown 1984; Frye and Lea 2003).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Liliopsida | Cyperales | Cyperaceae | Carex |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | Established | Expanding | Introduced | Regular Resident | Europe | Eurasia | Shipping(Dry Ballast) |
History of Spread
Carex extensa (Long-Bracted Sedge) is native from northern Europe to Mediterranean (including N. Africa) and the Black Sea. A recent range extension (since 1948) to southern Norway was attributed to natural dispersal by birds or sea currents (Bronger and Haugen 1983). It was first found in North America at Coney Island NY in 1860 and was collected in Norfolk VA around 1870 (Bailey 1885; U.S. National Herbarium collections). C. extensa spread to Long Island NY by 1875 (Bailey 1885; Gray 1889). The North American range is apparently confined to lower Chesapeake Bay and Coney Island-Long Island, NY (Gleason and Cronquist 1991). It was not included on a comprehensive list of wetland plants of NJ (Schmid 1990), so it doesn't seem to have colonized the space between the two areas of introduction.
Within Chesapeake Bay, the known range of Carex extensa has expanded in the 20th century. It occurs in Norfolk County VA, where it was first collected, but also in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore(Harvill et al. 1986; 1992). The first MD record was in 1948 in brackish marshes in Somerset County (Hotchkiss 1951). It was later found in 3 Eastern Shore marsh sites (1971-1972) (Sipple and Wheeler 1974) and is locally abundant on the Eastern Shore (Sipple 1995). A collection In an upper salt marsh, on Wallops Island VA (Chincoteague Bay) was its first Atlantic Coastal Bay record (Klotz 1986).
History References - Bailey 1885; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Gray 1867; Gray 1887; Harvill et al. 1986; Harvill et al. 1992; Klotz 1986; Schmid 1990; Sipple and Wheeler 1974; U.S. National Herbarium collections
Invasion Comments
Probable Vector into Chesapeake Bay - Carex extensa is not cultivated, or an agricultural or garden weed, to our knowledge, so its appearance at Norfolk and Coney Island was probably due to to transport in dry ballast. It has been reported on ballast piles in Norway (Bronger and Haugen 1983), but not on ballast piles at East Coast U.S. ports.
Range Status - The range of Carex extensa is stable or expanding slowly.
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | |||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | meso-poly |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 200.0 | 200.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 500.0 | 500.0 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 800.0 | 800.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Carex extensa (Long-Bracted Sedge) is rare and localized in Chesapeake Bay and has no known economic impacts.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Carex extensa (Long-Bracted Sedge) is rare and localized in North America and has no known economic impacts.
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Carex extensa (Long-Bracted Sedge) is rare and localized in Chesapeake Bay and has no known impacts on native biota.
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Carex extensa (Long-Bracted Sedge) is rare and localized in Chesapeake Bay and has no known impacts on exotic biota.
References
Bailey, L. H. (1885) Notes on Carex VI., Botanical Gazette 10: 380-384Bronger, Cees; Haugen, Hans Aksel (1983) Vipestarr (Carex extensa Good.) i Norge, Blyttia 41: 143-148
Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A. (1963) The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Gray, Asa (1867) A manual of botany of the northern United States., In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gray, Asa (1889) A manual of botany of the northern United States., In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Harvill, A. M., Jr.; Bradley, T. R.; Stevens, C. E.; Weiboldt, T.F.; Ware, D.E.; Ogle, D. W. (1986) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Farmville, VA. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Hotchkiss, Neil (1951) Range extensions of marsh and aquatic plants. 2., Rhodora 53: 91-93
Kartesz, John T. (1994) A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland., In: (Eds.) . , Portland OR. Pp.
Klotz, Larry H. (1986) The vascular flora of Wallops Island and Wallops mainland, Virginia, Castanea 51: 306-326
Krauss, R.W.; Brown, R. G.; Rappleye, R. D.; Owens, A. B.; Shearer, C.; Hsiao, E.; Reveal, J. (1971) Checklist of plant species occurring within the hightide limits of the Chesapeake Bay, and its tributaries., , College Park, Maryland. Pp.
1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse
Roozen, A. J. M., Westhoff, V. (1985) A study on long-term salt-marsh succession using permanent plots, Vegetatio 61: 23-32
Schmid, James A., (1990) Checklist and synonymy of New Jersey higher plants with special reference to their rarity and wetland indicator status., , Media, PA.. Pp.
Sipple, William S. (1978) An atlas of vascular plant distribution species for tidewater Maryland, , Annapolis, Maryland. Pp.
1995 Introduced plants in Chesapeake Bay, letters and telephone conversations.
Sipple, William S.; Wheeler, Richard H. (1974) On the presence of three vascular plants, Melothria pendula, Carex extensa, and Aneilema keisack in Maryland, Chesapeake Science 25: 173-174
Stace, C. (1992) New Flora of British Isles, , Cambrdge, UK. Pp.
1995 ---missing info----. Conversation
1995 Introduced plants in the Chesapeake Bay region, conversation with Paul Fofonoff.
Tutin, T. G.; Heywood, V. H.; Burges, N.A.; Valentine, D. H.; Walters, S. M.; Webb, D. A. (1964) Flora Europea, , Cambridge UK. Pp.