Herb: Tufted Sedge


Latin name: Carex elata


Synonyms: Carex stricta


Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge Family)



Edible parts of Tufted Sedge:

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

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
120 cm
(4 feet)

Flowering:
May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

By fen ditches and in wet places by rivers and lakes in base-rich soils.

Other uses of Tufted Sedge:

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

Propagation of the herb:

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. Division in spring. 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 of Tufted Sedge:

By fen ditches and in wet places by rivers and lakes in base-rich soils.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Carex elata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.