A spiky wetland sedge is suddenly everywhere on iNaturalist
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
If you walk boggy meadows or sandy pond edges this time of year, this unassuming grass-like plant is having a visible moment, and your own sighting could help map where it still thrives.
Toothed flatsedge is a wetland plant in the sedge family that most people would walk right past. Right now it's showing up in record numbers on iNaturalist, with observers logging 829 sightings across the US in just one week, a jump of 92 from the week prior. That surge almost certainly means it's hit a stage, like seed heads forming, that makes it pop visually and catch foragers' and naturalists' eyes.
Key Findings
829 observations of toothed flatsedge (Cyperus dentatus) logged in the US in the past 7 days
That's an increase of 92 observations compared to 737 the week before
It ranks among the most-observed plant species on iNaturalist nationally this week
chevron_right Technical Summary
Citizen scientists are spotting toothed flatsedge in unusually high numbers right now, with 829 sightings logged nationwide this week, up from 737 the week before. The spike likely reflects this wetland sedge entering a visible seeding or fruiting stage that makes it easier to notice and identify.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: toothed flatsedge (Cyperus dentatus) — 829 observations this week
Toothed flatsedge (Cyperus dentatus) is a species in the family Cyperaceae. iNaturalist users recorded 829 observations of it in the United States in the 7 days before today, among the most for any...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Photo by Marc-Aurèle Vallée, taken in Québec, Canada. CC0 via iNaturalist.
Phenology is the study of recurring biological events in plant life cycles—such as flowering, fruiting, and germination—and how these events are timed in response to seasonal and climatic conditions. This research is essential to plant science because phenological patterns directly influence
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