Participant Info

Species

Carex saxatilis [Carex rhomalea] [Carex physocarpa] [Carex vesicaria var. saxatilis] etc. etc.

Family

Cyperaceae

CommonName

rock sedge

Presence

yes

Status

native

EarliestDate

1945

LatestDate

2014

Ecosystem

subalpine, tundra

Geobotanical

SSanjuans

Counties

Conejos

Passes

WildlifePreserves

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

Comments

NEED IN SITU PHOTOS. Not many recorded locations for rock sedge (Carex saxatilis) in the Watershed, and all from the same area of western Conejos Co. The habitat is around high-elevation lakes. The lower USA distribution follows the Rocky Mountains from the Canadian border through Colorado down to Rio Arriba Co, New Mexico. The species does not follow the Rio Grande drainage any farther south. Note that Carex saxatilis is a variable species that has given and still gives taxonomists trouble. POWO (April, 2025) lists 31 synonyms, and this is for a taxon that they say does not occur in Colorado. Apparently POWO is now calling Carex rhomalea the the USA taxon that traditionally has been called Carex saxatilis. We will stick with that traditional name, as do (2025) FNA, BONAP, iNaturalist, and Allred et al. (2020)

Annotation