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Ross' sedge

Carex rossii

Also called Short Sedge, Ross sedge, Ross's Sedge, Shortstemmed Sedge

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

Ross' sedge (Carex rossii) is a hardy, low-growing grass-like perennial that forms dense clumps or mats, often one of the first plants to colonise bare or disturbed ground in western North America. It is best grown from a native-habitat sense of conditions: open sun to part shade and well-drained soil.

Family
Cyperaceae (Cyper family)
Grows as
Grass
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then allow the top of the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Adaptable; well-drained to moderately moist loam, sand or gravelly soil.
Temperature
Very cold hardy; tolerates freezing winters well below 0 °C in native range.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Alaska to W. & N. U.S.A. and Mexico (N. Baja California)
Climate
temperate

About

Carex rossii, commonly known as Ross's sedge, is a hardy species of sedge that is often a pioneer species in areas with little or no established vegetation, or in places where disturbance has occurred. Ross's sedge grows in a variety of habitats throughout much of western North America, from Alaska to Ontario, south to New Mexico and California. It flowers in May and June.

Where it grows

Carex rossii is native to, and sometimes abundant in, Alaska and subarctic Canada (Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon Territory); western Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan); and the contiguous U.S. (Arizona, California, Colorado, the Dakotas, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.) It is found only sporadically in Ontario, Michigan, and Nebraska.

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 rossii 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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