Publication: Amer. J. Sci. Arts. 10: 278, plate F, fig. 18. 1826.

Origin: Native

Herbarium search: CPNWH

Notes: Taxonomy and nomenclature follows SPNW.

SPNW: "Carex siccata can be a community dominant in the herbaceous layer of open conifer forest. Where common, it can furnish good forage for cattle and horses, but it is rare in the PNW. It reduces erosion, especially in sandy soils, and has been used in the habitat restoration projects outside the PNW, sometimes on old mine sites. This species has been involved in a three-way confusion of names involving C. foenea and C. aenea. Carex siccata is the only one of the three actually known to grow in the PNW."

FNA23: "Though most frequently smooth adaxially and more or less distinctly veined, the perigynia of Carex siccata are quite variable in venation and surface texture. Throughout the range of the species, plants with perigynia veinless or, essentially so, occur occasionally. Those plants have been designated as C. foenea var. enervis Evans & Mohlenbrock. Less commonly, the perigynia are tuberculate adaxially. Such plants have been designated as C. foenea var. tuberculata F. J. Hermann and specimens have been seen from Washington, Colorado, Arizona, and Wisconsin, and reported from Alberta and New Mexico. They probably occur sporadically throughout the range. Rarely, plants are both veinless and tuberculate.

Carex siccata is a very common species of open pinelands in portions of its western range; it becomes very local in much of the easternmost portions of its range.

The name Carex foenea has, unfortunately, commonly been misapplied to the species in some recent literature."

Last updated 11/8/2023 by David Giblin.