How to identify — This species grows from a creeping underground rootstock; it does not form large tufts like other common alpine sedges. The leaf blades emerge together in small bunches from the rootstock. New leaves from this season will be entirely green and usually emerge from the center of a clump of older dried leaves. Although the leaves are fairly narrow (about ¼ the width of your pinky nail), they are relatively wide compared to most alpine grass-like plants. The male flower stalks emerge and bloom slightly before the female flowers. The flowers are borne on a thin triangular stalk, which emerges after the leaves and eventually grows to be taller than the leaf blades (usually 6-12 inches). The flower stalk usually carries one (sometimes more) male spike at the tip, and two (or more) female spikes along the stalk. The erect spikes are cylindrical, with the female a bit stouter than the male. The male spike produces highly visible cream-colored anthers (male flower part) and the female spike has more subtle white stigmas (female flower part). Each spike is covered in dark purple-black scales. As the fruits begin to develop, the edge of the green seeds can be seen emerging from behind the scales.

At a distance, many of the graminoids (grass-like plants) look similar. However, with a closer look, this species can be distinguished from other common sedges, grasses, and rushes found above treeline. The dark scales of the cylindrical spikes are the best indicators of this species. Other dark-scaled graminoids, such as scirpus-like sedge, black sedge, and spiked woodrush, have a single spike or are drooping rather than erect. Most alpine graminoids have very narrow leaves; Bigelow’s sedge leaves are relatively wide.

Habitat/Distribution — Bigelow’s sedge is most common in moist soils at higher elevations. Regionally, it is restricted to the higher mountains of New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Vermont, and Canada. It is also found in the Rocky Mountains, and polar regions throughout the world.

Ecology — Each year, new shoots grow from different parts of the underground rhizome (a root-like structure). They will produce leaves for a few years, flower, and then die. A new shoot will have no dead leaves from last year, while a 1-year old shoot will have just a few.  In a few locations, large “lawns” composed almost exclusively of Bigelow’s sedge form, such as Monticello Lawn near the summit of Mount Jefferson. This sedge meadow community is restricted to high elevations within the alpine zone, and tends to grow in flat or poorly drained areas.

Environmental Change Issues — While most plant and animal species have the ability to shift their distributions north or south in response to climate change, alpine habitat in the Northeast is distributed as isolated islands surrounded by inhospitable spruce-fir and northern hardwood forests. They are limited to shifts in altitude in response to climate change rather than latitude. Because Bigelow’s sedge is a high elevation species within the alpine zone, suitable habitat may be reduced or eliminated if alpine areas shrink in response to climate change. This could also lead to the extinction of the endemic White Mountain Butterfly (Oenesis melissa semidea), which is associated with the sedge meadow community and is found only in the Presidential Range, NH.