About Carex concinna R.Br.
Carex concinna R.Br. is a species of sedge with several common names: low northern sedge, northern elegant sedge, beauty sedge, and beautiful sedge. It is native to northern North America, distributed across Canada and found at high elevations in the northern contiguous United States. This sedge grows loose or dense clumps of triangular stems that reach up to around 20 centimeters tall. A small number of light green leaves grow around the bases of the stems; each leaf is up to 10 centimeters long and only a few millimeters wide. Inflorescences develop at the top of stems and also along the sides of stems. The terminal spike is composed of staminate flowers, and each is less than one centimeter long. The species reproduces both via seed and by sprouting new growth from its rhizome. It grows in forests and wooded areas, most often on calcareous substrates. It is commonly found along the edges of flood channels, and also occurs in the alvars around the Great Lakes alongside other sedge species including spikerush (Eleocharis elliptica), ebony sedge (Carex eburnea), Richardson’s sedge (Carex richardsonii), and bulrush sedge (Carex scirpoidea).
