Cumberland Sedge

Plants densely cespitose, from short rhizomes. Culms erect or ascending, 7–27 cm × 0.4–0.7 mm; vegetative shoots taller than culms, (1.4–)1.7–3.7(–4.9) times as tall as tallest flowering culm; blades of vegetative shoots 1–3.5 times wider than bract blades. Leaves: basal sheaths white to light brown; nonbasal sheaths 2.1–10.6 mm; blades erect, drooping or recurved, dark green, 0.4–52 cm × 1.6–6.1 mm, usually exceeding culms. Inflorescences: spikes (3–)4 per culm, scattered; peduncles of proximal pistillate spikes drooping, to 9.1 cm; bracts dark green, 10–28 cm × 1.8–5.9 mm, well developed, blade of distal lateral spike (12–)17–51 times as long as wide. Pistillate spikes: the proximal usually, usually basal, the distal sessile to very short pedunculate, often hidden in foliage, 5.3–17 × 2.8–4.1 mm. Staminate spike sessile or nearly so, (8.3–)9.6–16(–21.1) × 0.6–1.3 mm, often hidden by distal bract and/or pistillate spikes. Pistillate scales 1.3–2.2 × 1.4–2.1 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline, apex acute, proximal scales of lateral spikes subtending perigynia. Staminate scales (2.6–)2.8–3.5(–3.8) × 1.1–1.7 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline, apex obtuse. Anthers 1.2–1.8 mm. Perigynia 4–8(–9) per spike, distichously overlapping, finely veined, obovoid, 2.9–3.8 × 1.5–2.1 mm; beak tapering. Achenes ellipsoid, 2.2–2.9 × 1.4–1.8 mm, sides flat at maturity, filling perigynia. Style tapering from swelling just beyond attachment to achene, bent, ascending through entire orifice.

Ala., Ark., Ga., Ind., Ky., Miss., N.C., Ohio, Pa., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va.

Fruiting spring.

Mesic, deciduous or mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, often calcareous soils; 200–1200m.

Carex cumberlandensis is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to eastern parts of the United States.