General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also margins of ponds and lakes.
Availability:
Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida.
Description: Medium to large emergent herbaceous sedge with narrow rounded stems.
Dimensions: Emergent 2-4 feet in height. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) and forming large patches.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Range:
Texas, Georgia and Florida south to the Monroe County mainland; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.
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 marshes.
Soils: Wet, inundated freshwater 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: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
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: Spring-summer.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed or divisions.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
