Carex albicans

{{Short description|Species of grass-like plant}}

{{speciesbox

|image = Carex albicans.jpg

|genus = Carex

|display_parents = 2

|parent = Carex sect. Acrocystis

|species = albicans

|authority = Willd. ex Spreng.

}}

Carex albicans, commonly called whitetinge sedge,{{PLANTS|id=caal25|taxon=Carex albicans|accessdate=22 July 2018}} is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family (Cyperaceae). It is native to the eastern North America, where it is found in Canada and the United States.{{cite web |url=http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm |title= Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States |author= Alan Weakley |date= 2015}} Its typical natural habitat is dry forests and woodlands.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242357025 Flora of North America, Carex albicans var. albicans]

Carex albicans is a perennial graminoid. It produces fruits in early spring, which are dispersed in part by ants.{{cite book |last=Yatskievych |first=George |date=1999 |title=Flora of Missouri, Volume 1 |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden Press |pages=219 }}

Carex section Acrocystis is known for being taxonomically difficult, with new species still being described in eastern North America.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=302673 Flora of North America, Carex sect. Acrocystis] Two species in this section, Carex emmonsii and Carex physorhyncha, have historically been treated as varieties of Carex albicans due to the three taxa's strong morphological and biochemical similarities. However, modern treatments of the 2010s often separate them at the species level.{{cite book |last=Chester |first=Edward |date=2015 |title=Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee}}