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Tussock Sedge

Carex stricta

Tussock sedge builds its own microtopography, and that is the whole point of the plant: each clump accumulates its dead leaves and roots into a raised pedestal a foot or more high, so an old sedge meadow is a field of hummocks with standing water between them. That structure is habitat in itself — the tops stay dry enough for nesting sparrows, rails and turtles while the hollows hold water for amphibians, and a great many wetland species depend on the arrangement rather than on the plant. It is a dominant species of northern sedge meadows and wet prairies, often covering acres nearly alone. Growth is early and cool-season: it greens up while the marsh is still cold, flowers in May, and is tan by late summer. Its dense fibrous roots are among the best erosion control available for a shoreline whose water level moves. It is a larval host for several satyrs and skippers, and its seed feeds sparrows and waterfowl.

Family

Cyperaceae

Type

grass

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1–3 ft

Spacing

1–2 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

May, June

Bloom colors

green

Wildlife value

songbirds, butterflies, larval host

Landscape uses

specimen, border, naturalizing

Native states

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