Carex stricta explained

Carex stricta is a species of sedge known by the common names upright sedge[1] and tussock sedge.[2] The plant grows in moist marshes, forests and alongside bodies of water.[3] It grows up to tall and wide. When the leaves die, they build on top of or around the living plant, making a "tussock".[3] Widely distributed in and east of the Great Plains, it is one of the most common wetland sedges in eastern North America.[4]

Their seeds are carried by the wind. When seeds land, they are eaten by birds such as dark-eyed junco, northern cardinal, wild turkey, and ducks such as mallard and wood duck. The seeds are also eaten by squirrels and other mammals.[3] The plant can also reproduce vegetatively via rhizomes, and often form colonies.[3]

It is a larval host to the black dash, the dun skipper, and the eyed brown.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Carex stricta Lam., upright sedge . PLANTS Profile . . May 22, 2013.
  2. Coladonato, M. 1994. Carex stricta. In: Fire Effects Information System, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
  3. http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/tussock_sedge.htm Carex stricta.
  4. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242357561 Carex stricta.
  5. The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.