BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Carex amplifolia
bigleaf sedge
| Scientific Name: | Carex amplifolia Boott | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Name: | bigleaf 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 | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | CAREAMP | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G4 (Feb 1994) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S4 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 3 - Sensitive (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | Big-leaf Sedge is a perennial grass-like plant with a single or several sharply triangular stems, 5-10 dm tall, which arise together from creeping rhizomes. The flat leaves, 8-20 mm wide and up to 5 dm long, are distributed evenly along the stem. Foliage is glabrous. Flowers are clustered in cylindical spikes, 4-10 cm long, and arise from the axils of the smaller upper leaves (bracts). A single spike of male flowers occurs at the tip with several female spikes on short stalks below. The glabrous perigynia (female flowers), 2.5-3.5 mm long, are egg-shaped with a short beak. The lance-shaped scales are slightly shorter than the perigynia which they subtend and have a dark papery margin and a green or pale midvein, often with a pointed tip. There are 3 stigmas and the seed (achene) is 3-sided. | ||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Diagnostic Characteristics: | The leaves of this species are much broader than either C. LASIOCARPA or C. LANUGINOSA. C. AMPLIFOLIA could be confused with C. UTRICULATA, but the perigynia of this species are 4-7 mm long. A hand lens and technical manual should be used for positive identification. | ||||||||||
| Similar Species: | |||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
|||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
|||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
| Pollen Vector: | |||||||||||
| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
| Inventory Priority: | |||||||||||
| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | |||||||||||
| Inventory Need: | |||||||||||
| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | S. B.C. to CA, east to ID (n. of the Snake River plains), nw. MT, and the Steen Mtns. of OR. Peripheral. | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | JM | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Oct 08, 1994 | ||||||||||
| 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. |
|||||||||||
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. |
|||||||||||
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. 1994. Species Summary: Carex amplifolia. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 14, 2026).