Carex rosea
rosy sedge [Blooms: May-Jun]
Rosy sedge (Carex rosea) flowers and stems. Bottom right: part of a single fertile culm with two spikes; the lowest spike exhibits a very long basal bract. Top right: looking down parallel to the axis of a spike of rosy sedge. The single male floret is seen in (out-of-focus) cross section; the radiating female florets are seen in profile. Top right: a lateral view of a rosy sedge spike. Three of the female florets show brown remnants of the styles; two of the female florets still show styles with the three-loop twist (white arrows) characteristic of rosy sedge. Bottom left: a portion of a fertile culm; you can see the three-sided (triangular) shape. Near the bottom of the image is a single spike with a basal bract (labelled). The single male (♂) floret projects perpendicular to the plane of the radiating female (♀︎) florets.
Rosy sedge’s spikes are stalkless and occur in a cluster at the tip of the culm up to 2.75″ long. The cluster is composed of 4-8 small spikelets, crowded at the tip of the spike but well separated lower in the spike. Individual spikes consist of staminate (male) florets at the tip and pistillate (female) florets at the base, the individual florets radiating in all directions from the center of the spike. At the base of each spike is a bristle-like bract; the lowest bract in the cluster may be more leaf-like and may overtop the terminal spike. The staminate florets have anthers 0.8-1.3 mm long. The pistillate spikes produce fruit in late spring or early summer that consists of clusters of seeds (achenes) 1.6-2.2 mm long and 1.1-1.6 mm wide. The pistillate scales are 1.3-2.75 mm long. The perigynia are 2.6-4 mm long and 1.1-1.8 mm wide, green to yellowish brown at maturity, lance-shaped in outline and flattened on the back; they taper to a short beak with minute teeth along the edges and two larger teeth at the tip. The styles often persist in the fruit with the two twisted stigmas protruding. Each cluster of seeds is wrapped in a casing (perigynium) and subtended by an egg-shaped to nearly round pistillate scale, translucent white with a green midrib, blunt or pointed at the tip but lacking an awn.
Five fertile culms of rosy sedge (Carex rosea) in the middle of Wooded Island in early June. Note the widely spaced spikes and radiating florets within the spikes; one of the spikes has an exceptionally long basal bract. Two of the five bracts have buckled, always a risk with such a long, slender stem.
Rosy sedge (Carex rosea) is a native perennial sedge that typically grows 8-12″ tall but individual culms may get as long as three feet. Culms are three sided (“three square”), 1.6-2.2 mm wide basally, tapering to 0.5-0.9 mm distally; the upper parts of the culm are rough textured. Rosy sedge is clump-forming rather than colony-forming; at maturity the clump may flatten out in all directions. It prefers dry forests to mesic hardwood or mixed forests. The leaves may be either basal or occur alternately along the lower third of the culms. The leaves are up to 16″ long but only 1.8-3 mm wide, hairless, and V-shaped in cross section when young; they are mostly shorter than the culms and become arching as they mature. You’re unlikely to confuse rosy sedge with any of the other local sedges except the star sedge (Carex radiata) which also has culms that are triangular in section and, late in the development of the inflorescence, also has a “starburst” pattern of spikelets radiating in all directions. Star sedge has narrower (<2 mm) leaves than rosy sedge (3 mm) and star sedge has straight styles while rosy sedge has styles that curl through three turns; the styles in both species are red (assuming the styles are in their prime when you see them). Compare photos of the two species before deciding on an identification.
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![Evening primrose — clusters of yellow flowers occur at the apex of the plant. The flowers are 1-2" across, with four 1/2-1" long green sepals strongly reflected over a long (3/4-2"), green, cylindrical floral tube (the ovary is located just above the leaf axil), four heart-shaped yellow petals, eight stamens, and a single style with an X-shaped stigma. The sepals typically remain connected (in pairs) along one edge until the flower opens. The seedpods develop within the ovary (the base of the elongate floral tube); they are hairy, urn-shaped with rounded edges, and have four or eight small lobes on the apex. The seeds are claimed to remain viable in the soil for up to 70 years. The flowers open at dusk and close early in the day. — — — There are (at least) three evening primroses in Jackson Park — common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), northern evening primrose (Oenothera parviflora), and hairy evening primrose (Oenothera villosa). They are easily confused with each other. (Judging by the conflicts between the accounts on Illinois Wildflowers [https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/], Minnesota Wildflowers [https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/], and Missouri Plants [http://www.missouriplants.com/], even the experts are confused.) All three species have yellow flowers with an X-shaped stigma, reflected sepals, petals with a small notch in their apex, stems that may be red or green, and lance-shaped leaves with short, widely-spaced teeth. Northern evening primrose is distinguished by (1) the presence of a knob or ridge at the tip of each sepal which the other two species lack (2) a seed capsule with four robust, flaring lobes with rounded tips at the apex of the seed capsule, and (3) a stigma that is very robust and almost fills the opening of the flower. Northern evening primrose has green to yellowish-green sepals. Hairy evening primrose (often but not always) has (1) striped or reddish-tinged sepals (check the buds where this character is often easier to see), (2) flowers that turn orange as they begin to senesce (although the reliability of this character is uncertain), and (3) always has glandular hairs covering the ovary that have "pimple-like" bright-red bases; these red pimples may also occur on the stems. All three species are somewhat similar to prairie sundrop (O. pilosella); the latter has very hairy stems and leaves, and translucent lines that radiate from the base of the petals in the flowers.](https://jacksonparkwildflowers.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oenothera_biennis-1t-300x300.jpg)
![Northern evening primrose flowers are 3/4-1.5" across, have four yellow, heart-shaped petals, eight yellow stamens, and a cross-shaped stigma on a modest style; the stamens are as long or longer than the petals and the stigma is nearly fills the floral opening. At the base of the flower are four sepals 1/2-1" long, that bend back along the 3/4-1.5" long floral tube as the flower develops with pairs of sepals attached along one edge until the flower opens. Only northern evening primrose with a distinct ridge or knob near the tips of the sepals. The seed capsule develops from the ovary; it is 3/4-1.5" long, cylindrical but tapering slightly towards the tip, with four robust, flaring lobes at the tip. — — — There are (at least) three evening primroses in Jackson Park — common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), northern evening primrose (Oenothera parviflora), and hairy evening primrose (Oenothera villosa). They are easily confused with each other. (Judging by the conflicts between the accounts on Illinois Wildflowers [https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/], Minnesota Wildflowers [https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/], and Missouri Plants [http://www.missouriplants.com/], even the experts are confused.) All three species have yellow flowers with an X-shaped stigma, reflected sepals, petals with a small notch in their apex, stems that may be red or green, and lance-shaped leaves with short, widely-spaced teeth. Northern evening primrose is distinguished by (1) the presence of a knob or ridge at the tip of each sepal which the other two species lack (2) a seed capsule with four robust, flaring lobes with rounded tips at the apex of the seed capsule, and (3) a stigma that is very robust and almost fills the opening of the flower. Northern evening primrose has green to yellowish-green sepals and is the only one of the three evening primroses to (sometimes) have reddish color on some or all of the midvein of the leaves. Hairy evening primrose (often but not always) has (1) striped or reddish-tinged sepals (check the buds where this character is often easier to see), (2) flowers that turn orange as they begin to senesce (although the reliability of this character is uncertain), and (3) always has glandular hairs covering the ovary that have "pimple-like" bright-red bases; these red pimples may also occur on the stems. All three species are somewhat similar to prairie sundrop (O. pilosella); the latter has very hairy stems and leaves, and translucent lines that radiate from the base of the petals in the flowers.](https://jacksonparkwildflowers.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oenothera_parviflora-1t-300x300.jpg)
![Hairy evening primrose produves an elongating spike of flowers arises from the apex of the stem; flowers bloom near the tip while older flowers and seed capsules develop below. Individual flowers are 3/4-1.5" across; they sit on a long floral tube with the ovary at its base (attached to a leaf axil). The flowers have four yellow, heart-shaped petals, eight yellow stamens, and a cross-shaped stigma on a modest style; at the base of the flower are four sepals 3/8-3/4" long, reflected back along the floral tube as the flower develops with pairs of sepals attached along one edge until the flower opens. The sepals are often red-striped or red-tinged. Note the long, hairy floral tube below the sepals, the reddish stem, and glandular hairs with red bases on the ovary. The seed capsule develops from the ovary; it is up to 1.75" long, cylindrical but tapering slightly towards the tip, with four tiny lobes at the tip. — — — There are (at least) three evening primroses in Jackson Park — common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), northern evening primrose (Oenothera parviflora), and hairy evening primrose (Oenothera villosa). They are easily confused with each other. (Judging by the conflicts between the accounts on Illinois Wildflowers [https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/], Minnesota Wildflowers [https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/], and Missouri Plants [http://www.missouriplants.com/], even the experts are confused.) All three species have yellow flowers with an X-shaped stigma, reflected sepals, petals with a small notch in their apex, stems that may be red or green, and lance-shaped leaves with short, widely-spaced teeth. Northern evening primrose is distinguished by (1) the presence of a knob or ridge at the tip of each sepal which the other two species lack (2) a seed capsule with four robust, flaring lobes with rounded tips at the apex of the seed capsule, and (3) a stigma that is very robust and almost fills the opening of the flower. Northern evening primrose has green to yellowish-green sepals. Hairy evening primrose (often but not always) has (1) striped or reddish-tinged sepals (check the buds where this character is often easier to see), (2) flowers that turn orange as they begin to senesce (although the reliability of this character is uncertain), and (3) always has glandular hairs covering the ovary that have "pimple-like" bright-red bases; these red pimples may also occur on the stems. All three species are somewhat similar to prairie sundrop (O. pilosella); the latter has very hairy stems and leaves, and translucent lines that radiate from the base of the petals in the flowers.](https://jacksonparkwildflowers.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oenothera_villosa-1t-300x300.jpg)
