Common name: Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae, Sedge
Height x width: 4-24" x 6-18" depending on species
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: clustered, basal grass-like leaves usually forming tufts (unless noted below as spreading), flat, thick ¼-½" wide, some species (as noted) are evergren or variegated gold or white; stems are triangular compared to rounded grass stems, flower stems are solid without nodes compared to grasses usually hollow with nodes; where blade and sheath join (ligule) is generally absent in sedges but conspicuous in grasses
Flowers: unisexual (separate male and female but on the same plant) compared to grasses with both parts on same flower, some species are quite ornamental
Hardiness: zones 4-7 to 8-10 depending on species
Soil: moist, some species tolerate wet, a few tolerate dry
Light: sun or shade for most (unless noted below specifically for shade)
Pests and Problems: few serious, occasionally mites
Landscape habit, uses: massing in shade, fronts of borders, containers especially in shade, rock gardens for low species, wet areas and along watersides for many species; many cultivars add color to shade
Other interest: genus name from the Greek keiro meaning to cut, refering to the sharp edge of leaf margins; found in most temperate and arctic regions, native depending on species but mainly to U.S., Japan and New Zealand
Other culture: low maintenance, cut back previous year's foliage in spring
Propagation: seed or spring division
Species:
In the tables below, those marked * are the most commonly found in U.S.
commerce.
| Species | height | zones | leaves | other |
| acuta:gracilis | ||||
| berggrenii | 2-4" | 7-9 | copper | moist part shade, Berggreni Sedge |
| *buchananii | 1-2' | 7-9 | green | Leather Leaf Sedge |
| comans | 1-2' | 7-9 | green | New Zealand Hair Sedge |
| conica | 6-12" | 5-9 | green | Miniature Sedge |
| digitata | 8" | 5-9 | green | clumping |
| dipascea | 2-3' | 7-9 | bronze, trailing | water edge, New Zealand |
| elata | 2-3' | 5-9 | green | water edge |
| flacca | 1' | 5-9 | blue-green | massing, invasive, sun or shade |
| *flagellifera | 2-3' | 7-9 | orange-bronze | Orange-colored Sedge |
| *glauca | 6" | 5-9 | blue-green | Blue Sedge, massing, sun or shade |
| gracilis | 1-2' | 4-9 | green | tolerates flooding, shade |
| *grayi | 2' | 5-9 | green | moist, Gray's Sedge |
| hachijoensis | 1' | 6-9 | green | evergreen, Japan |
| montana | 10" | 4-9 | green | yellow flowers, Mountain Sedge |
| morrowii | 1' | 5-9 | green | evergreen |
| *muskingumensis | 2' | 4-9 | green | Palm Sedge |
| nigra | 6-9" | 4-8 | green | blackish inflorescences |
| ornithopoda | 4" | 7-9 | green | Bird's Foot Sedge |
| oshimensis:hachijoensis | ||||
| pendula | 2-3' | 5-9 | green | moist, semi-evergreen, spreads |
| petriei | 8" | 6-9 | reddish | moist, stiff upright, Brown Sedge |
| phyllocephala | 2-3' | 7-10 | green | moist |
| plantaginea | 1-2' | 5-9 | green, wide | mass, spreads, Plantain-leaved S.G. |
| siderosticha | 4-6" | 7-9 | green, wide | new shoots reddish |
| speciosa | 4-12" | 7-9 | green | moist, shade, spreads |
| stricta:elata | ||||
| sylvatica | 1-2' | 5-9 | yellow-green | |
| testacea | 2-3' | 7-9 | bronze, trailing | clumper, moist, part shade |
| texensis | 3-4" | 7-10 | green | Texas Sedge, tolerates foot traffic |
| velebit | 6" | 5-9 | green | shade, Velebit S.G. |
Cultivars:
| Cultivar | species | foliage, other |
| 'Aurea':'Bowles Golden' | elata | |
| 'Aureovariegata':Goldband' | morrowii | |
| *'Bowles Golden' | elata | golden variegated |
| 'Bronce' | comans | bronze |
| 'Catlin' | speciosa | green 12", evergreen, zones 7-9 |
| 'Durmiter' | flacca | blue-green, more vigorous than species |
| *'Evergold' | hachijoensis | golden variegated |
| 'Frosted Curls' | comans | green, ruffled tips |
| *'Goldband' | morrowii | golden variegated |
| 'Hime-kan-suge':'Variegata' | conica | |
| 'Marginata' | conica | silver margins |
| 'Sparkler' | phyllocephala | white variegated |
| 'The Beatles' | speciosa | green 4" tufts, zones 5-9, Mop-headed S.G. |
| *'Variegata' | conica | white variegated |
| *'Variegata' | morrowii | silver variegated |
| 'Variegata' | ornithopoda | white variegated |
| 'Variegata' | siderosticha | white marginal stripes, pink in spring |
| 'Wachtposten' | muskingumensis | green, more upright, drought resistant |
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