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Tussock Sedge
Carex stricta

a.k.a. Upright Sedge

A slender, 1-3 ft. grass-like plant with a cluster of brown seed capsules clinging high on the stem. Stems bearing greenish or brownish spikes of inconspicuous flowers above dense tufts of grass-like leaves. Green leaves are exceeded by the stem in height. Forms large tufts or hummocks to 3 ft. wide. The easiest way to recognize this sedge is by its distinctive, elevated tussocks (dense tufts) in open wet areas. It grows abundantly, often in seasonally flooded sites.

USDA symbol: CAST8

General Information

Plant TypeGrass
Height1 to 3 feet
Light ExposureSun
Soil MoistureMedium, Wet
Bloom ColorGreen, Brown
Tussock Sedge (Tussock Sedge<div><em class="small">Carex stricta</em></div>)
Photo credit: United States Department of Agriculture (Click to enlarge)

Tolerances

Flooding / Inundation ToleranceVery High
General Resilience7
Salt ToleranceNone
Stress ToleranceAcidic Conditions, General Disturbance

Pollinator Value: Medium

Bloom MonthsJune
Larval Host ofButterflies, Moths
Specific Pollinators HostedCisseps fulvicollis, Euphyes conspicua, Poanes massasoit

Project Planning

Project TypeBoulevard, Rain Garden, Restoration, Shoreline Buffer
Coefficient of Conservatism6
Herbivore SensitivityMedium
LifespanPerennial
Rate of SpreadSlow
Soil StabilizationShallow
Vegetative ReproductionClonal

Range

CountyAitkin, Anoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac qui Parle, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nobles, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Roseau, Sherburne, Sibley, St. Louis, Stearns, Steele, Swift, Todd, Wabasha, Wadena, Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Winona, Wright, Yellow Medicine
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