Description: This
native perennial plant is about 2-3' tall, forming tight tufts of leaves and
flowering culms. The slender culms are light green, 3-angled, rather stiff, and
rough beneath the inflorescence. The alternate leaves are restricted to the
lower half of the stalks. They are up to 2' long and 1/5" across (5 mm.), light
green, hairless, narrowly linear in shape, and rough along the margins. The
narrow leaves typically arch upward and downward; they are often channeled in
the middle. The inflorescence occurs at the apex of each culm; it is up to 3"
long, consisting of an elongated panicle of 10-20 spikelets. At the base of
each spikelet, there is often a linear bract up to 2" long (although it is
usually much shorter). Each spikelet consists of a tight cluster of pistillate
and staminate flowers; the latter are located at the apex and are
insignificant. The perigynia of the pistillate flowers are about 3 mm. long and
2 mm. across, or a little smaller. Each perigynium is ovate to broadly ovate,
somewhat rounded at the base, and tapering to a short narrow beak; it is
slightly convex on one side, and flat on the other (plano-convex). As they
become mature, the perigynia become golden yellow. The pistillate scales are
lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate, tapering to a short awned tip; they are about
the same length as the perigynia. The achenes are quite small, about
1.0–1.5 mm.; they are ovoid and flattened, tapering to a blunt tip at the
bottom. At the top of each achene, there is a persistent style that is swollen
at its base. The root system consists of short rhizomes and fibrous
roots.
Cultivation: The preference
is full to partial sun, wet to moist conditions, and various kinds of soil,
including loam and clay-loam. A mesic location is tolerated where there is some
protection from the afternoon sun.
Range &
Habitat: Yellow Fox Sedge is occasional throughout Illinois (see
Distribution
Map). Habitats include wet to moist prairies, prairie swales, swamps, fens
and seeps, borders of ponds, ditches, and abandoned fields. This species can be
found at both disturbed and higher quality sites.
Faunal
Associations: The flowers are wind-pollinated and do not attract
many insects. The caterpillars of various butterflies, skippers, and moths feed
on Carex spp. (see the
Lepidoptera Table for a
listing of these species). Other insects feeding on Carex spp. (Sedges)
include Stethophyma lineata (Striped Sedge Grasshopper), Stethophyma
celata (Otte's Sedge Grasshopper), and various leafhoppers. The seeds of
Carex spp. are a significant source of food to various upland gamebirds,
waterfowl, and songbirds (see the the
Bird Table for a listing
of these species).
Photographic
Location: A prairie swale at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana,
Illinois.
Comments: Yellow Fox Sedge
is reasonably attractive because of its yellow spikelets of flowers and compact
tufts of fine leaves. It is very similar in appearance to the common Carex
vulponoidea (Fox Sedge). However, the spikelets of Fox Sedge are more brown
when they become mature. Other differences between these two species include:
1) the leaves of Yellow Fox Sedge are shorter than the flowering culms, while
the leaves of Fox Sedge are often longer than the flowering culms, 2) the
perigynia of Yellow Fox Sedge are usually a little larger in size than those of
Fox Sedge, and 3) the inflorescence of Yellow Fox Sedge is 3" or less, while
the inflorescence of Fox Sedge is occasionally longer than this. Mohlenbrock
(1999, 2003) refers to Yellow Fox Sedge as Carex brachyglossa (which is
the name that has been adapted here), while other authorities refer to this
species as Carex annectens, Carex annectens xanthocarpa, and
Carex xanthocarpa. According to Mohlenbrock, Carex annectens
annectens is synonymous with Fox Sedge.