Sedges

Sedge photos

Family: Sedge (Cyperaceae)

Scientific Name:

Carex spp.

Status:

Australian natives and introduced species.

A large tussock forming Sedge plant
Photo: A J Brown

Plant Description:

Perennial tufted or rhizomatous sedges, mostly with triangular stems without nodes but with basal leaves. Flower-heads mainly spike-like; nodding in some species but often stiff and erect. Spikelets consist of a single flower in the axils of the spirally arranged glumes. The genus is typified by having the pistil, and therefore later, the nut, enclosed in a bottle shaped covering called a utricle.

Habitat:

These sedges occupy a wide variety of habitats, from alpine to coastal and from dry grasslands and woodlands to wet depressions, swamps and the edges of lakes and streams. Only a few species are found in north-west Victoria. Generally indicative of non-saline environments.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Mallee, Loddon Murray, Central and Northern, Wimmera, Western, Gippsland	S0	W0, W1, W2, W3

Comments:

A large genus of sedges with over 1500 species world-wide, about 60 species in Australia and 34 recorded for Victoria. The more common species that occupy wetter environments include Tassel sedge (Carex fascicularis), Fen Sedge (Carex gaudichaudiana), Tall Sedge (Carex appressa), Common Sedge (Carex tereticaulis) and Knob Sedge (Carex inversa).

Sedge photos

A field of Tall Sedge Photo: A J Brown	Stems of Tall Sedge Photo: A J Brown
Young flower-head of Tall Sedge Photo: A J Brown	Mature flower-head of Tall Sedge Photo: A J Brown
Tall Sedge spikelets Photo: A J Brown	Knob Sedge plants Photo: A J Brown
Flower-heads of Knob Sedge Photo: A J Brown	Knob Sedge spikelets Photo: A J Brown

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