The plants that occur in the ice meadows of the Hudson River in Warrensburg are at the northeastern limit for this species in the United States. Their nearest population in New York is in Massapequa on Long Island.
There are nine existing populations, but only one of them has over 100 plants and most of them are not in protected areas. There are 13 historical records.
Short-term trends seem to be stable, although it is difficult to assess whether plants still exist in the seed bank if they have not been seen in recent years.
This sedge has always been rare in New York and the number of existing populations has remained about the same over time, and is expected to continue this way into the foreseeable future.
The lack of disturbance may be hindering their reproduction on one hand, but too much disturbance by improper timing of roadside management, use of herbicides for roadside managment or control of invasives, or destruction by ATVs may also reduce numbers of plants.
This species needs disturbance to reduce competition from woody plants or more aggressive herbaceous plants, but too much direct disturbance to the plants will reduce or eliminate the population. Its habitat could be disturbed in the non-growing season to open it up for seed germination and colonization, but direct disturbance should be prevented during the growing season.
More research is needed into the seed banking ability of this plant in New York, and what kind of disturbance is necessary for optimal growth.
In New York, Scleria triglomerata has most often been at wet edges within dry, sandy sites. It is known from roadsides within pine barrens, sand plains, and oak woods bordering salt marshes. There is also one population in ice meadows along the Hudson River in the Adirondacks (New York Natural Heritage Program 2011). Dark woods to open, moist pinelands, meadows, swales, prairies, and savannas (FNA 2002). Moist or dry sandy soils and pine-barrens (Gleason and Cronquist 1991).
* probable association but not confirmed.
This small herb is currently known from Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island and from Warren County. There are historical records from the New York City area, the Pine Bush in Albany County, and Rome Sand Plains in Oneida County.
It grows in the Eastern United States from Minnesota south to Eastern Texas and east to Florida, New York, and Southern New England.
Scleria is a genus of sedge with 3-angled culms, dimorphic spikelets, and conspicuous white achenes. Whip nutrush is an erect hairless plant that grows 4-10 dm tall from clustered, knotty rhizomes. The leaves are linear, 3-9 mm wide, rigid, and shorter than the stems. There are terminal and axillary clusters of spikelets each with 3-10 spikelets. The lateral clusters are on erect peduncles which become more drooping when growing in the shade. The bracts below the clusters are leaf-like and lanceolate, 3-11 cm long and long pointed. The spikelet scales are brown with mid-ribs that extend into a point beyond the top of the scale. The achenes are smooth white or sometimes grayish brown with dark horizontal bands. They are rounded, 2-3 mm in diameter, with a disk at the base that is slightly 3-angled and covered with whitish or brownish papillae (FNA 2002).
Whip nutrush is best identified when in fruit.
The other five species of Scleria in New York all occur within the range of Scleria triglomerata and are best differentiated in fruit. Scleria pauciflora var. pauciflora and var. caroliniana are hairy and have six tubercles at the base of the achene. Scleria minor is most closely related but has leaves that are only 1.2.5 mm wide and achenes that are 1.5-2 mm in diameter. Scleria reticularis and Scleria mühlenbergii have rough achenes with 3 oblong lobes at the base and their flower clusters are more open-paniculate with visible branches. Scleria verticillata has no disk or lobes at the base of the achene and the plants are annual and lacking rhizomes (FNA 2002).
Whip nutrush is easiest to see and identify when it is in fruit, from late June early October.
The time of year you would expect to find Whip Nut Sedge fruiting in New York.
Whip Nut Sedge
Scleria triglomerata Michx.
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Information for this guide was last updated on: August 9, 2011
Please cite this page as:
New York Natural Heritage Program. 2023.
Online Conservation Guide for
Scleria triglomerata.
Available from: https://guides.nynhp.org/whip-nut-sedge/.
Accessed October 3, 2023.