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Silvery Sedge

Silvery Sedge

Carex canescens

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How common: Common

Silvery Sedge is a narrow-leaved, tuft-forming plant of wet places. It is widespread across Northern and Central Europe, Siberia, and northern North America. Its pale, grey‑green leaves and light, slim flower heads give it a silvery look.

Did you know?

  • It is wind‑pollinated, so it does not need insects to set seed.
  • It often forms hybrids with several other sedge species.

About the species

Identification

A narrow-leaved, tuft-forming sedge, 20–50 cm tall. Stems slender, upright, with three sharp edges and rough near the top. Leaves flat, soft, grey-green, 2–4 mm wide, almost stem-length; bases pale brown. Flowering part 3–7 cm, with 3–7 slim, pale green heads; the lowest are clearly spaced below the rest. In each head, male flowers are at the base and female at the tip. The seeds sit inside small, upright, oval sacs that turn grey-brown and end in a short rough tip. The cool grey-green colour and silvery look help tell it from greener sedges. Flowers in Finland in June–July.

Plant group

Grasses, sedges and rushes

Habitat

mire

Flowering

Jun–Jul

About the habitat

Grows in many kinds of wet ground: shores of lakes and rivers, ditches and flood meadows, fens and boggy heaths, and even wet roadsides and paths. Common throughout the country.

Sources

Photo: James K. Lindsey, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carex.curta.2.jpg

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Sisävedet: rantaniityt, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40316

Text: Pinkka (Luomus), CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40316

Text: Pinkka: A Pohjolan kasveja - Carex, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40316

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmaasara

See also