Carex plantaginea is a sedge that has gotten around quite a bit and even been separated a few times from it’s core range (Appalachian mountains).
Here are examples of different populations with a bit of morphological stability on display,
Caldwell Nature Preserve, Hamilton Co, Ohio(not listed in bonap:/ )
Red River Gorge, KY(in bloom)
Carex plantaginea is either called plantain leaf sedge or seer sucker sedge commonly; it has to be one of the most beautiful sedges to see in bloom and doesn’t seem to have and overall karst habit; it actually seems to do better in sandy ravines over the karst systems. The interesting thing is definitely its mysteriously large but, fragmented outer range. Both the Greene and Clark county Ohio populations are considered part of this fragmented range that tells a story about refugium the Appalachian-boreal forest matrix, it’s retreat, and the xerothermic Interval/prairie peninsula expansion, and the importance of glacial outwash cut ravines and their ability to form refugium. Clifty Falls population is considered separate from other populations in accordance to older records, however, I guarantee you can find these in any ravine/rich mesic forest connection within’ the greater Ohio River Valley’s mesic woods.
Both the Greene and Clark county Ohio populations are considered part of this fragmented range that tells a story about refugium the Appalachian-boreal forest matrix, it’s retreat, and the xerothermic Interval/prairie peninsula expansion, and the importance of glacial outwash cut ravines and their ability to form refugium for a cool/humid summer microclimate.
The populations in these fragmented locations are smaller than what is generally considered core and are often claimed as disjunct due to the lack of connectivity to the core populations in the Appalachian mountains. Other populations make sense for long term connectivity due to boreal forest, cold rainy weather patterns, and unique microclimate cold producing communities that simulate temperate rainforest and cold ravine like climates in present days like the Ohio River Valley which was connected in more recent times. The refugium similar to that of glacial cut ravines that are the most significant are at the farthest west of the normal range, much of these are due to cold venting/producing micro climates like that of the algific talus slopes in the driftless which would of been somewhat connected in the boreal matrix. On the map we see a documented population also at the southern tip of Ill, this makes sense due to the Ohio River corridor.
The Hamilton Co. and Boone Co. populations not being listed is just due to poor documentation, infact the entire Ohio river valley should be green for present on bonap.