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Western sedge

Carex occidentalis

Western sedge
Photo: Hurd, E.G., N.L. Shaw, J. Mastrogiuseppe, L.C. Smithman, and S. Goodrich., Public domain

Western sedge is a native North American perennial sedge that grows in dry woodland and grassland in the southwest and west. It is best suited to dry, well-drained sites where it can be grown as a low-maintenance native grass-like plant.

Family
Cyperaceae (Cyper family)
Grows as
Grass
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water sparingly once established; allow soil to dry out between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, sandy or gritty soil, tolerates poor and rocky ground.
Temperature
Hardy in cold winters; protect potted plants below about -5 °C.
How easy
Easy
Native range
SW. & WC. U.S.A. to NE. Mexico
Climate
temperate

About

Carex occidentalis is a species of sedge known by the common name western sedge. It is native to the southwestern United States and parts of the west as far north as Montana. It grows mainly in dry habitat such as woodland and grassland. The plant produces very narrow stems up to about 90 centimeters in maximum height, sometimes with rhizomes. The inflorescence produces a cluster of several rounded flower spikes. The pistillate flowers are covered in scales which are brown with green, three-veined centers.

Other Carex plants

Carex abitibiana · Indian Valley sedge · Abruptbeak sedge · Thicket sedge · Small Dusky Sedge · Seoul Sedge · Acid Loving Sedge · Carex acocksii · Slender Tufted-sedge · Carex acutata · Lesser pond sedge · Circumpolar sedge

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Carex occidentalis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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