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Coast Sword Sedge

Lepidosperma gladiatum

Coast Sword Sedge
Photo: Hughesdarren at English Wikipedia, Public domain

Coast sword-sedge is an evergreen, clump-forming perennial sedge native to coastal southern Australia, where it grows in dunes and creek lines. It is grown in gardens for its dense, dark green strap-like foliage and needs full sun and well-drained soil.

Family
Cyperaceae (Cyper family)
Grows as
Grass
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then let it manage on rainfall and water only in long dry spells.
Soil
Free-draining sandy or loam soil; tolerates poor, sandy coastal soils.
Temperature
10–35 °C; tolerates mild frost and salt-laden coastal wind.
How easy
Easy
Native range
S. & SE. Australia
Climate
subtropical

About

Lepidosperma gladiatum is commonly known as the coast sword-sedge or coastal sword-sedge. It is an evergreen species of sedge that is native to southern coastal areas of Australia. It was described by French botanist Jacques Labillardière in 1805. The Noongar name for the plant is kerbein.

Where it grows

L. gladiatum in coastal regions around Australia in the States of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. In Southwest Australia it can be found as far north as Cervantes and as far east as Cape Arid National Park.

Uses

The seedheads have been used to feed captive red-eared firetails, the finch-like species Stagonopleura oculata, their deft extraction and enthusiasm for the seed suggests it is consumed in its usual habitat.

Other Lepidosperma plants

Lepidosperma amantiferrum · Lepidosperma angustatum · Lepidosperma asperatum · Lepidosperma avium · Lepidosperma benthamianum · Lepidosperma bungalbin · Hoary Rapier Sedge · Lepidosperma chinense · Lepidosperma concavum · Riverside Sword Sedge · Tall Sword Sedge · Common Rapier Sedge

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lepidosperma gladiatum 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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