Carex glaucodea

Common Names

Blue Sedge, Glaucous Sedge, Glaucescent Sedge

Summary

Carex glaucodea is a native North American sedge with glaucous blue-green foliage and a densely cespitose, clump-forming habit. It grows 10–50 cm tall with yellow-brown culms, glabrous sheaths, and glaucous blades about 5–11 mm wide; the inflorescence ranges from about half to the full height of the culm and comprises 3–6 spikes, with lateral spikes pistillate bearing many perigynia and terminal spikes typically longer; perigynia are veined, oblong-ovoid, and the achenes are obovoid. It inhabits mesic to wet-mesic deciduous forests or seasonally moist prairies, typically on clays or loams, and fruits in spring to early summer. In cultivation, it tolerates a range of light from full shade to full sun with adequate moisture, and grows in moderately moist to wet soils of any texture; it is valued as an ornamental ground cover or for erosion control in landscape plantings. Propagation is by division or by seed, with seeds sown in a cold frame in spring or autumn and transplants moved to permanent positions in spring. It is deer-proof and suitable for native or meadow-style plantings, thriving in a variety of disturbed sites such as woodlands and wetlands and providing ecological value as a component of native landscapes.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

4-19.5 inches

Spread

22 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones unknown

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun to partial shade, tolerates full shade to full sun, full sun only where moisture is adequate.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained clay or loam soils

Soil Drainage

Moist, well-drained soils

Soil pH

Acidic (pH below 7)

Bloom Color

Brown, Red, Yellow, Yellowish-green, Golden-yellow

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Glaucous blue-green

Fall Foliage Color

Blue-green

Leaf Lifecycle

Other

Growth Rate

Unknown

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts butterflies and birds