Carex Grayi
I love the pale green, mace like flower heads that
shoot up from the coarse textured clumps of Carex
grayi growing along my garden paths. These
uniquely shaped, mid Summer blooms contrast nicely
with the grassy foliage that provides texture and interest
the gardening season long.
Carex grayi is at the top of my "Idiot
Proof" plant list and you can grow this baby just
about anywhere including the damp shade that it chooses as
its native home.
I've used Carex grayi in colonies around
ponds, where their reflections in the water make a
dramatic appearance. The dark green color of the foliage is
held well into Autumn. Even in Winter, the
showy seed heads add an interesting look to an otherwise
bleak landscape. They've often found their way into
my floral arrangements while still green, and I've
dried them to a creamy tan color for dried flower
arrangements.
Propagation is simple by division and a two year old clump
will yield dozens of ready-to-grow new plants that can be
potted up or directly planted back into the garden.
Seeds can be collected and easily germinated, as Carex
grayi forms colonies left to the plant's own
devices.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom - Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom - Tracheobionta - Vascular
plants
Superdivision - Spermatophyta - Seed
plants
Division - Magnoliophyta - Flowering
plants
Class - Liliopsida -- monocotyledons
Subclass - Commelinidae
Order - Cyperales
Family - Cyperaceae
Genus - Carex
Species - grayi
Common name - genus - "Sedge"
Common name - species - "Gray's Sedge"
Synonyms - none that I have
found
Native of - Eastern US, see http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/b98_map?genus=Carex&species=grayi
USDA Hardiness Zone - zone 2, wow talk about
hardy!!!
Light preference - Light shade to full sun, almost
anywhere
Soil preference - Average to rich
Moisture preference - Moist to average
Bloom time - Late Spring, early Summer
Bloom color - Pale green
Foliage - Dark green, glossy, grass like
Spread - 8" - 18"
Height - 12" - 36"
Landscape uses - Naturalizing in a light shade or
full sun border or woodland garden
Medicinal uses - None that I have found
© 2002 Barry Glick and Sunshine Farm & Gardens
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