Plant Names
Carex grayi
Gray's Sedge
Carex de Gray
Synonyms
Asa Gray's sedge
bur sedge
common bur sedge
Gray's bur sedge
morning star sedge
Plant Characteristics
Couleur de floraison: Vert
Bloom Period: May - Aug
Hauteur max: 3,0 feet
Max Width: 2,0 feet (spreads by rhizome)
Light Condition:
Plus de 6 heures d'ensoleillement par jour
More than 2 or 3 hours but less than 6 hours of direct sun a day
Soil conditions:
Tolerates medium soil condition
Lifespan:
Vivace
des plantes qui reviennent année après année
Gardener Experience:
Ne se propage pas de manière incontrôlable
Spreads by rhizome
Facile à germer
Self-seeding
Landscape Uses:
Souhaitable dans les jardins de zone humide
Suitable for rain gardens
Ecological Benefits:
No ecological benefits information available.
Tolerates:
Deer resistant
Rabbit resistant
Tolerates limestone conditions
Tolerates acidic soil conditions
Tolerates juglone conditions
Tolerates transplantation
Special Features and Considerations:
This plant is a GRASP candidate
Seed and plant distribution status
No seeds available for this plant.
Nous acceptions les semences de cette plante
Faits intéressants
Gray's sedge is one of the more distinctive native sedges, known for its unusual spherical seed heads that resemble small medieval maces or spiked balls. It forms clumps of broad, arching green leaves and grows naturally in moist woodlands, wet meadows, and along streams. It is an excellent ornamental sedge for native gardens. It forms tidy clumps and is generally well behaved. The seed heads provide long-lasting ornamental interest. It can be divided in the spring.
Plant Location
Native to Ottawa region: Oui
Distribution according to VASCAN
Ephemeral
Native
Introduced
Excluded
Extirpated
Doubtful
Absent
Thrives in Ecozones
- Bouclier boréal
- Plaines à forêts mixtes
Ecological Benefits
Butterflies Supported by Carex grayi
No butterfly data available for this plant.
Specialized Bees Supported by Carex grayi
No bee data available for this plant.
Complementary Plants
- Doellingeria umbellata
Flat-topped White Aster
Aster à ombelles - Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata
Lance-leaved Self-heal
Brunelle commune - Solidago rugosa
Rough-stemmed Goldenrod
Verge d'or rugueuse - Symphyotrichum puniceum
Purple-stemmed Aster
Aster ponceau - Vernonia gigantea
Giant Ironweed
Vernonie géante
Substitute For Non-Native Plants
- Pennisetum setaceum (Fountain Grass)
Sowing Information
Download Seed Envelope Labels (PDF)
- Sowing depth: Surface sow
- Sow by February
- Stratification duration: 60 days
- Self-seeding
Harvesting and Seed Sharing
- Harvest start month: September
- Harvesting indicator:
- Seeds easily fall off when you gently pull them off
- Harvesting:
- Utiliser la main pour détacher de la tige principale
- Seed viability test:
- Pas de test requis avant le don
- Packaging measure: A dozen (12) seeds (eyeball)
- Seed storage:
- Sécher à l'air dans un sac en papier ou contenant ouvert, pour quelques jours jusqu'à sec
- Secouer de temps à autre pour prévenir la moisissure
- Cultivar: Yes, do not donate unless you know source, and there are no known cultivars in your garden or at proximity
- No harvesting video available at this time.
Toxicity Notes
Inadequate information on toxicity found.
GRASP Candidate
Overlooked or difficult to grow plants (eg ghost plants, shrubs, trees, complicated germination etc); sapling sitters, seed sitters, skilled germination, growers with right conditions- aiming for local stock; these plants may not be extinct, but overlooked OR support habitat OR support a vulnerable animal/insect.
Canadensis