About Carex arcta Boott
Carex arcta Boott, commonly called northern cluster sedge, is a species of sedge. It is native to northern North America, where it occurs across most of Canada and the northern regions of the United States. It typically grows in wet habitats, most commonly in coniferous forests. This plant forms dense clumps of erect stems that reach a maximum height of about 80 centimetres, or 31 inches. Its leaves range in color from pale green to grayish and are flat in shape. The leaf sheaths at the base of the plant are dotted with reddish or purple spots, and leaves are sometimes longer than the stems they grow from. The plant's inflorescence is a dense, oblong cluster holding up to 15 spikes of pointed flowers. The full cluster measures 3 to 4 centimetres, or 1.2 to 1.6 inches, in length, while individual spikes grow no longer than 1 centimetre, or 0.39 inches. Its fruit is enclosed in a sac known as a perigynium, which is greenish with visible veins and ends in a reddish tip.
