''Carex nebrascensis'' is a species of sedge known as Nebraska sedge.

Distribution

This sedge is native to the central and Western United States and north into central Canada. It grows in wetlands at various elevations, including the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

and Mojave Desert sky islands. ''Carex nebrascensis'' tolerates

alkaline soils Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico- ...

and submersion for long periods of time.

Description

''Carex nebrascensis'' produces upright, angled, spongy stems up to about 90 centimeters tall. The waxy, bluish leaves form tufts around the base of each stem. The root system is a very dense network of

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s. The inflorescence includes a few narrow staminate spikes above some wider

pistillate Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

spikes on short peduncles. The fruit is covered in a tough, slightly inflated sac called a perigynium which sometimes has a pattern of red spotting.

Uses

Uses for this sedge, ''Carex nebrascensis'', include: * Forage for livestock and wildlife * Ornamental grass ("grasslike") plant in natural, native plant, and

habitat garden A wildlife garden (or wild garden) is an environment created by a gardener that serves as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibians, ...

s *

Erosion control Erosion control is the practice of preventing or controlling wind or water erosion in agriculture, land development, coastal areas, river banks and construction. Effective erosion controls handle surface runoff and are important techniques in ...

and

soil compaction In geotechnical engineering, soil compaction is the process in which stress applied to a soil causes densification as air is displaced from the pores between the soil grains. When stress is applied that causes densification due to water (or other ...

remediation. *

Restoration ecology Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

** Riparian zone restoration **

Stream restoration Stream restoration or river restoration, also sometimes referred to as river reclamation, is work conducted to improve the environmental health of a river or stream, in support of biodiversity, recreation, flood management and/or landscape developm ...

** Wetland restoration * Phytoremediation in natural and constructed wetlands for

wastewater treatment Wastewater treatment is a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater and convert it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environme ...

by bioremediation.Wetland Plant Fact Sheet

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Carex nebrascensis''''Carex nebrascensis'' - Photo gallery at Calphotos
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5039106 nebrascensis Flora of the Western United States Flora of the United States Flora of Nebraska Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of Canada Garden plants of North America Halophytes Phytoremediation plants Plants described in 1854 Flora without expected TNC conservation status