Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Carex duriuscula [Carex eleocharis] [Carex stenophylla var. duriuscula] [Vignea duriuscula]
Family
Cyperaceae
CommonName
needleleaf sedge
Presence
yes
Status
native
EarliestDate
1896
LatestDate
2024
Ecosystem
basin, foothill, montane, subalpine, tundra, ruderal, urban
Geobotanical
SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos, UBasin
Counties
Alamosa, Conejos, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache
Passes
WildlifePreserves
Other Localities
La Botica, Del Norte
Comments
Needleleaf sedge has been recorded quite often from the west mountain ranges of the Valley, but only once from the east ranges: in conifer forest just east of the Great Sand Dunes NPP (Alamosa Co, 1976). The typical habitat for Carex duriuscula is rather dry wooded hillsides in the montane, but the species does extend from basin grasslands to alpine slopes. Occasionally it can be found in ruderal habitats such as alley sides. Recent photorecords show it invading the edges of lawns in Del Norte (May 2025). In the USA, its normal range is all Western states except for California, Oregon, and Washington, and the northern Great Plains. Adventitious locations farther east include railway embankments. C. duriuscula follows the Rio Grande drainage a third of the way through New Mexico but no farther down stream.