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Lake Sedge
Carex lacustris

Readily spreads by underground roots and therefore makes a good shoreline stabilizer.

USDA symbol: CALA16

General Information

Plant TypeGrass
Height3 feet
Light ExposureSun, Part Sun
Soil MoistureMedium
Bloom ColorGreen, Brown
Lake Sedge (Lake Sedge<div><em class="small">Carex lacustris</em></div>)
Photo credit: Minnesota Wildflowers (Click to enlarge)

Tolerances

Flooding / Inundation ToleranceVery High
General Resilience10
Salt ToleranceMedium
Stress ToleranceFire Tolerant, General Disturbance

Pollinator Value: Low

Bloom MonthsJune to September
Larval Host ofButterflies
Specific Pollinators HostedEuphyes dion, Poanes viator

Project Planning

Project TypeRain Garden, Restoration, Shoreline Buffer
Coefficient of Conservatism6
Herbivore SensitivityLow
LifespanPerennial
Rate of SpreadFast
Soil StabilizationShallow
Vegetative ReproductionClonal

Range

CountyAitkin, Anoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Blue Earth, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Douglas, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Grant, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Le Sueur, Mahnomen, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Nicollet, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Rice, Roseau, Sherburne, Sibley, St. Louis, Stearns, Steele, Todd, Wabasha, Wadena, Waseca, Washington, Wilkin, Winona, Wright
EcoregionDriftless Area, Lake Agassiz Plain, North Central Hardwood Forests, Northern Glaciated Plains, Northern Lakes and Forests, Northern Minnesota Wetlands, Western Cornbelt Plains
Approximate Eco ProvinceEastern Broadleaf Forest, Laurentian Mixed Forest, Prairie Parkland, Tallgrass Aspen Parklands