BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Carex backii
Back's sedge
| Scientific Name: | Carex backii Boott | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Back's sedge | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Taxonomy Comments: | See: Saarela, J. M. and B. A. Ford. 2001. Taxonomy of the Carex backii Complex (Section Phyllostachyae, Cyperaceae). Systematic Botany 26(4): 704-721. |
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| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | CAREBAC | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Jun 2025) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S3S4 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | A densely tufted grass-like plant, this sedge has leaves 1.3-5.4 mm wide. The leaves are up to 37 cm long and the whole plant often appears somewhat flattened. The flowers and fruits, which occur in clusters 0.7-1.6 cm long, are borne on the tips of stalks which are shorter than the leaves. The flowers and fruits are inconspicuous because they are completely concealed by leaf like structures (scales) which surround each individual flower/fruit in a cluster. The best way to look for this plant is to search for these leafy scales. | ||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Similar Species: | |||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Forest / Mixed Forest (deciduous/coniferous mix) / Facultative - occasional use
Grassland/Shrub / Grassland / Facultative - frequent use Riparian / Riparian Forest / Facultative - frequent use Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Facultative - occasional use |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Carex backii grows on "dry, rocky, open, or shaded slopes, ridges, and barrens, in hardwood, mixed, or coniferous forests, including pine plantations, on acidic and calcareous substrates" (FNA 2002). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
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| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
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| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | |||||||||||
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| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Carex backii occurs in northern North America from New Brunswick west to British Columbia, Canada and south in the United States through New England west to Iowa, North Dakota, and Idaho south to Colorado (FNA 2002). Range extent was estimated to be over 5 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025). | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Soteropoulos (2025) | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jun 24, 2025 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. 358pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, eds. 2001. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 6, Monocotyledons (Acoraceae through Najadaceae). B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, and B.C. Minist. For., Victoria, BC. 361pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2025. Species Summary: Carex backii. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 5, 2026).