Carex Working Group
Carex hystericina
The Carex Working Group formed in 1993 out of a common interest in the genus Carex (sedges) and to work toward the following goals:
- learn to identify all Oregon Carex, the state’s largest genus of vascular plants
- explore areas of the state where Carex distribution was not well documented
- deverlop a database of Carex herbarium specimens and location records
- create range maps for all Oregon Carex taxa
- assess current status of Carex populations
- develop a field guide to Carex of Oregon and Washington
The Carex Working Group has annotated all Oregon Carex in the OSU herbarium and many of the other herbaria around the state. They have built a database of over 6000 entries which includes information both from herbarium specimens and from Carex sighting records accumulated during field work in many parts of the state. With the aid of Dr. Jon Kimmerling (Geosciences), Manuela Huso (Forest Science), and the Oregon Flora Project they have used this database to produce the Atlas of Oregon Carex which contains distribution maps for all Oregon Carex taxa. Members of the Carex Working Group have described a new species that occurs in southern Oregon (Carex serpenticola), and have written several regional Carex and Juncus keys. In addition, they have provided input to the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center (ORNHIC) on rare Carex taxa of Oregon. Currently, more than 30 rare Carex taxa occur on ORNHIC lists, attesting to the importance of the biogeographical information provided by the Carex Working Group for this difficult genus. Current projects include taxonomic work on several troublesome species groups, conducting Carex inventories in Oregon, northern California and Washington, and production of A Field Guide to Carex of Oregon and Washington.
The Carex Working Group has been funded by generous grants from the Native Plant Society of Oregon and has been greatly aided by support and cooperation from the OSU Herbarium. More information can be obtained by contacting any of the current members of the Carex Working Group by email:
- Richard Brainerd (mbrainerd@peak.org)
- Keli Kuykendall (keli@peak.org)
- Dana Lytjen (duckfoot@lifetime.oregonstate.edu)
- Bruce Newhouse (newhouse@efn.org)
- Nick Otting (duckfoot@lifetime.oregonstate.edu)
- Barbara Wilson (wilsonba@msn.com)
or at the following address and phone number:
Carex Working Group 2590 Onyx Eugene, OR 97403 (541) 334-4499
Atlas of Oregon Carex
Publication date: 1999.
Carex lenticularis
Authors: Barbara L. Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Manuela Huso, Keli Kuykendall, Danna Lytjen, Bruce Newhouse, Nick Otting, Scott Sundberg, and Peter Zika.
The Atlas of Oregon Carex has 128 shaded relief range maps, one for each Oregon Carex taxon. Also included are synonymy, fun facts about sedges, a history of the project, and maps of Oregon geographical features. This publication, which incorporates historical records as well as those accumulated from an additional seven years of sedging by the CWG in Oregon, was the first Occasional Paper of the Native Plant Society of Oregon (NPSO). All proceeds are from sales of the Atlas are donated to the NPSO. The Atlas is available by sending a $5 check payable to NPSO to:
NPSO Occasional Papers P.O. Box 902 Eugene, OR 97440-0902