Carex+stipata

Carex stipata​

Description: A slender, bunchgrass-like plant, this sedge grows 2-3 ft. tall, with a cluster of brown seed capsules clinging high on each stem. Leaves are coarse and elongate.

Use: Makes up 25% of the diet of the swamp sparrow

Cultivation: The preference is light shade to full sun and moist to slightly wet conditions. This sedge adapts to a variety of soil types, including a heavy clay-loam. In shaded situations, it tolerates drier conditions.

Range & Habitat: Prickly Sedge is widely distributed in Illinois; in most areas, it is occasional to locally common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to wet bottomland woodlands, moist depressions in upland woodlands, swamps, seeps and springs, wet prairies, areas along ponds, and ditches. This sedge is found in both degraded and higher quality habitats.