- Sedges are water-loving perennial plants that are often difficult to distinguish from grasses.
- They tend to grow in tufts or thick clusters and are often considered weeds in lawns.
- You can identify sedges by studying their stems, leaves and roots.
- The leaves are typically flat and thin, growing in groups of three.
The name Sedge is also used specifically for species of the genus Carex of the same family. Sedge is a common name for members of the Cyperaceae, a family of grass like and rush like herbs found in all parts of the world, especially in marshes of subarctic and temperature zones. Sedges differ from true grasses in having solid, angular (usually triangular stems).
Some Sedges can be woven into mats, chair seats, accessories such as purses and bags and a few provide coarse hay.
Photos by Nui Esser, 2011
The pith of Cyperus Papyrus was the source of the papyrus of Ancient Egypt and other Mediterranean countries.
Bulrushes, often called clubrushes, are sedges of the Genus Scirpus. The bulrushes in which the infant Moses was hidden (Ex. 2.8) were probably papyrus!
Many genera of the sedge family have indigenous and abundant species in America.
5,500 species described in about 109 genera, the largest being the carex genus of “true sedges” with over 2,000 species.
While Sedges may be found growing in almost all environments, many are associated with wetlands, or with poor soils.
There’s a lot more to sedges than people realise!
If you’d like to find out more about Sedges, why not come along and join us on our Sedge Identification Course, 14th July at Kenfig National Nature Reserve! More information about our ecology training courses can be found here.
