Carex pendula Huds. (pendulous sedge) is one of Europe’s largest and most distinctive sedges. Its combination of stature, leaf form, and drooping inflorescences makes it unmistakable once familiar:

Morphology Carex pendula forms dense, tufted clumps of erect, three-angled stems reaching 1–1.5 m tall. The leaves arise from the base, are 6–12 mm wide, glabrous, dark green, and often arch downward under their own weight. Each stem bears a loose cluster of 3–6 pendulous, cylindrical spikes. These spikes measure 5–15 cm long, hang like slender ropes, and consist of tightly packed, brownish-green unisexual flowers. Male flowers occupy the top 1–2 cm of each spike, with female flowers below.

Habitat and Ecology Pendulous sedge thrives in moist, shaded environments: stream banks, woodland margins, wet ditches, and riparian zones. It tolerates both full shade and partial sun but requires consistently damp, fertile soils. In its native range—Europe and western Asia—it often forms large stands that outcompete smaller sedges and woodland groundcovers. Birds and small mammals feed on its seeds, while its dense tussocks provide shelter for amphibians and invertebrates.

Reproduction and Spread Flowering occurs from April through June; seeds mature by midsummer. Each female spike can each produce hundreds of achenes. Although largely wind-pollinated, the pendulous form aids in seed dispersal by brush and water flow. In some introduced regions (e.g., North America) it can become naturalized along waterways and in shaded wetlands.

Distinguishing Features

• Height (up to 1.5 m) and three-angled stems.
• Broad, drooping leaves (6–12 mm wide).
• Long, pendent inflorescences of 5–15 cm.
• Mixed male (upper) and female (lower) flowers on the same spike.

No other native European sedge combines such height with distinctly hanging, rope-like spikes—making Carex pendula easily recognizable to botanists and naturalists alike.

Josef Niederle

The above plant seems to be Carex agastachys L.f.

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:298453-1

Thanks!

Addiitonal file.

Josef Niederle

According to POWO, Carex pendula Huds. is not found in Czechia.

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:301492-1

Thanks!

Even if we accept Carax agastachys as a separate species, Carex pendula (s. str.) DOES occur in Czechia. See https://pladias.cz/en/taxon/distribution/Carex%20pendula. It is found in the north and south-east of the country.

these utricules do not fit at al with those of Carex agastachys L. f.

https://cbnfc-ori.org/espace-documentation/carex-agastachys-lf-une-nouvelle-espece-pour-la-flore-de-france

ckick on "télécharger le fichier" sorry it is in French, except figures, ah ah

When dry utricules might be somewhat distorded as they are thinwalled

Utricles not included in downloaded file.

Merely spikes and achenes.

Real agastachys achene depicted by Míguez et al. in electron microscope picture A has apex

in outline truncate and therefore the widest point near the top.

Agastachys from France

depicted by you and from Moravské podhůŕí Vysočiny

depicted by me have apex in outline rounded and therefore

the widest point near the middle.

As far as I know, the plants concerned are from cultivation. They were planted in a public park more than a decade ago. Their origin is unknown but, presumably, they are not of local origin. Most likely, they represent commercially available strains, possibly imported from western Europe. They were identified as C. pendula (s. str.) by a specialist. The specimen collected in 2021 is deposited at BRNU.

To my preceding reply on agastachys achenes.

Jiří Danihelka speak about plants from Lužánky, which I call Taxon 1 here.

A small correction: The herbarium specimen is stored at BRNL. One letter makes a big difference...

bonjour

if found here in NE France I would assign your Taxon 1 to Carex pendula ss and your taxon 2 to Carex agastachys, indeed

Carex pendula in Lužánky could be transformed in thousends of herbarium

specimens. It is an invasive weed

and easily publicly accessible.

I have prepared a key for me and

I would like to know whether it works in ne. France.

1 Achene ± elliptic, its top acute

to obtuse in outline, widest point

near the middle; tubular part of

beak at least twice as long as wide

C. pendula s.str.

1* Achene ± obovate, its top either truncate (and then widest

point near the top) or rounded (and then widest point near the

middle) in outline; tubular part of

beak ± as long as wide

C. agastachys

Ligule colour is not relevant.

In my opinion, truncate top with

widest point near the top is

merely extremal form of rounded top with widest point near the

middle.

The akene shape is indeed the safest feature to tell apart both species. I never met intermediate forms, nor heterogeneity on a plant. The species may co-occur in a place (relatively rare case), and sterile bybrids suspected.

How to draw agastachys achene:

1. Draw a circle

2. Draw its horizontal and vertical axes

3. Take upper part of the circle

4. Draw the ellipse with the same axes, the same horizontal length and halved vertical length

5. Draw and take both tangential lines from the lowermost point of the circle to the ellipse

6. Take both connecting pieces of

the ellipse

The resulting shape has the widest point at the middle.

Marc,

I would greatly appreciate if you would add macrophotographs of whole utricles of French C. agastachys and C. pendula.

The above link shows achenes and distal halves of utricles in spikes but not whole utricles.

Despite, not distinctly separated green beaks with tubular part ± as long as wide in C. agastachys and distinctly separated dark beaks with tubular part twice as long as wide in C. pendula are obvious.

In that your sample my key works

perfectly as in Brno.

In my opinion, all Moravian occurrences of C. pendula s.str.

are descendants of escapees from cultivation in mansion parks, spa parks and contractors' representative gardens.

1. Rožnov (1936): was a spa in XIX century and skanzen locality in XX century, .

2. Přílepy u Holešova (1942, 1993): was a mansion with park; C. agastachys in surroundings.

3. Lukoveček: error, in reality Přílepy.

4. Lukov (2015, 2020): collected in fishponds ± 500 m upstream from zoological garden Lešná, a mansion before.

5. Sidonie (1932, 1943): on Vlárka river, left tributary of Vlára, collected above glass factory, destroyed to bricks 1937/1938; C. agastachys in surroundings.

6. Svatý Štěpán (2020): on Vlára river below Bylnice, was second glass factory of the same contractor as Sidonie, collected in broad-leaved woods, nearest settlement 200 m, Culture House of Brumov-Bylnice, Sidonie near too; C. agastachys in surroundings.