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Fringed Sedge

Carex crinita

Fringed sedge is the weeping one: its seed spikes hang from thread-fine stalks in long, soft, caterpillar-like tassels that sway in any breeze, three or four inches long and covered in the fine bristles that give the plant its name. A clump in fruit over water, tassels reflected, holds its own against any ornamental grass — and it does it in shade, where most fine-textured plants will not perform. The foliage is a substantial arching mound of wide leaves with rough, saw-toothed edges; run a finger the wrong way and it will catch. It grows along stream banks and in wet woods, seeps and swamp edges through the East, wanting shade and soil that stays damp. The seed heads darken and shatter by fall, so cut it for arrangements while the tassels are still green. Sparrows and wood ducks take the seed.

Family

Cyperaceae

Type

grass

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1–3 ft

Spacing

1–2 ft apart

Light

part shade, shade

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

June, July, August

Bloom colors

white, green, brown

Wildlife value

songbirds

Landscape uses

naturalizing, rain garden

Native states

AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV