Practical
Plants

Carex elata

Tufted Sedge

a perennial evergreen member of the Carex genus in the family Cyperaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Carex
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Height
1.2 m
Spread
1.5 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - cooked[4]. Seed[4]. No further details are given, but the seed is small and fiddly to use[K].

Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves are used for bedding[8]. Plants form impenetrably dense clumps and when planted close together in drifts make an excellent ground cover[5].

Product or use
Bedding

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Soil surface

Ground cover

Environment

Range
Most of Europe, including Britain, south to Algeria and east to the Caucasus.
Habitat
By fen ditches and in wet places by rivers and lakes in base-rich soils[3][7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow in situ in the spring in a moist soil in light shade. If seed is in short supply it can be sown in a cold frame and be planted out in the summer. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 15°c[1]. Division in spring[5]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Easily grown in a damp to wet soil in full sun or shade[2][5]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[6].

References

  1. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989-00-00

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  2. Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9

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  3. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  4. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩

  7. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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  8. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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