Living in the Dunes
In partnership with
NORTH CHAPTER
Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Duration: Perennial
Height: 40-135 cm (1.3-4.5 ft)
Blooming: June-July
Fringed Sedge
Carex crinita Lam.
Culms: sharply angled and thick with a light green color with no hair.
Flower: the inflorescence (flowering part of the plant) are drooping appearing to dance in the wind. The staminate spike (boy spike) is separate from the pistillate spikes (girl spikes). Usually there are 1-3 staminate spikes with 2-6 pistillate spikes hanging down off the fertile stem. The scale under the perigynia extends well beyond the perigynia giving the inflorescence a showy, rugged appearance.
Leaves: are rough within the margins but without hair. They have a deep groove.
Sun: Full sun to shade
SOURCES & FURTHER RESOURCES:
Flora of North America - Carex crinita
Comments: coming soon.
Etymology: The genus Carex comes from the Latin word meaning "reed-grass". The specific epithet, crinita, is derived from two Latin words meaning, "possessing hair on the head".
all photos by Nathanael Pilla
Landscape: for robust sedge for ditches, streams, or shady wet areas. It needs wet soil for best results. Fringe sedge's large leaves arch as it dangles its spikes like a puppeteer holds its marionettes.
Clifford, H.T. and P.D. Bostock. 2007. Etymological dictionary of grasses. Springer Science & Business Media, Heidelberg, Germany: pp. 46
