General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also margins of ponds and lakes.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A major component of the southern Everglades marshes and other freshwater wetlands.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Medium emergent herbaceous sedge with narrow round stems.
Dimensions: Emergent 1-3 feet in height. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) and forming large patches.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Range:
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. In the Monroe County Keys, disjunct from Miami-Dade County to Big Pine Key and the lower Keys.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.
Habitats: Freshwater and brackish marshes.
Soils: Wet, inundated freshwater or brackish soils.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Brown inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed or divisions.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
