Gardening with Indigenous Plants
Indigenous Plant Use
Identification & Control of Common Weeds
| Botanical Name: | Carex appressa 3 synonyms: Carex appressa var. typica, Carex paniculata var. appressa, Vignea appressa |
| Common Name: | tall sedge |
| Sold As: | Tube ($2.00) |
| Plant Type(s): | Rush / Sedge, Grass Like / Strappy, Bird Attracting, Butterfly Attracting, Insect Attracting |
| Growing Conditions: | Full Sun, Partial Shade
Moist, Wet, Boggy |
| Size (HxW): | 1.2 m x 1 m |
| Foliage: | Bright green leaves 2-12 mm wide. Sheath grey-brown, sheath appendage rounded to square. |
| Flowers: | Flowerhead narrow, erect 4-45 cm long; many short stalkless yellow-brown spikes, 1 per node; male flowers above female in all spikes. Fruit egg-shaped, thick flat base, veined, long hairs on edges, tip notched. August-January |
| General Comments: | Moist to wet areas in the garden. Commonly used in trapping silt and impurities in streams and for stabilising creek banks. Will tolerate some drying out. Frost tolerant. Densely tufted sedge spreading from short underground stems. Flowering stems erect, rough, sharply 3-angled, from 0.4-1.2m high, shorter than or the same as leaves; leafy bract below spikes very short. Habitat and nesting for birds. Both food for caterpillars and nectar for butterflies. Frog habitat. |
 Further Information: | |
| Plant Propagation: | Collect fruiting spikes once they have ripened and turned dark brown (between November and February) and place them in paper bag or tray. Leave in a cool dry place till all seeds fall off easily. Sow seeds 2mm to 3mm deep in standard well-draining potting mix - you can use a large salt or pepper shaker to distribute them evenly across the mix. Use a shallow seed-raising tray placed on a solid base tray to ensure the soil stays moist. Ensure that plants are kept warm with plenty of water until they are well established. Seeds will take two to eleven weeks to germinate. They will not germinate in temperature extremes. Seeds stored at room temperature in a dry place will remain viable for two to three years. |
