Sprengel’s Sedge

Carex sprengelii

Pollinator Value

❄️ Winter Food Source: Carex seeds are consumed by a wide range of overwintering and migratory birds. Notable genus-level consumers include American Tree Sparrow, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Dark-eyed Junco, and various waterfowl including Mallard, Green-winged Teal, and Canada Goose. Seeds persist on dried culms into winter, providing forage when other food sources are scarce.
S57

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Secure in Ontario (S5) but Vulnerable in Quebec (S3), suggesting the species reaches the edge of its optimal range in Quebec. Not SARA-listed. In Quebec, herbarium records concentrate in the St. Lawrence Lowlands and southern Shield fringe, with 19 specimens at CNH/MT and 34 GBIF preserved specimens in ecoregion 5.2.3.
S22+S26+S54+S48
Rarity Ranks: QC S3 – Vulnerable, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A woodland sedge of rich deciduous forests and high-terrace floodplains, typically found under canopies of sugar maple, beech, bur oak, and white ash on mesic loamy soils. In the Ottawa-Gatineau region it occurs on well-drained slopes and river terraces, often associated with riparian hardwood communities. Specimens from the Eardley Escarpment and Gatineau Park confirm its presence on both calcareous and granitic substrates.
S7+S10+S48+S61

Roles: Water Purifier
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Water Purifier: S72 Hemenway (tables: 5-3, pp. 82)]

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No documented edible uses found in ethnobotanical or phytochemical sources.
S28+S31