Plant types and subtypes: Grasses, Sedges, Wetland Grasses, Ornamental Grasses
Light Requirements: sun, part-sun, part-shade
Water Use: high
Soil Moisture: moist, wet
Soil Description: acid, rich, loam
Height: 2'-3'
Bloom Time: May, June, July, August
Bloom Color: green
Leaf Color: green
Hardiness Zone: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Additional Tags: attracts birds, bog plant, clumping, cut flowers, dried flowers, fall interest, mounding, naturalizing, ornamental foliage, pond margin plant, showy fruit, stream margin plant, swamp plant, wetland plant

Pricing & Availability
Description
Carex grayi
Also known as:Gray's sedge
,Carex asa-grayi
Description
Carex grayi is a very ornamental grass typically found growing along wetland margins. It is clump forming and can reach a height of up to 3". The grassy leaves leaves arch downwards and create an open form. Their color will vary from light green in full sun, to darker greens with more shade. The most noteworthy characteristic of this sedge are its medieval mass-like seed heads. These appear in summer as pale-green terminal clusters, will turn brown as they ripen, and persist well into winter.
Cultivation
Gray's sedge is a thirsty plant, but easy to grow in the right environment. It likes rich, wet, loamy soils in full sun to part-shade. Its water requirements will be higher in full sun, but those conditions will also produce a showier specimen. It is tolerant of occasional and seasonal flooding. It is best suited for use around ponds, streams, or other water features. Flowering will vary from May to August. Zones 4-8
Propagation
Propagate from seed in fall, or by clump division in early spring.
Additional Notes
In the right place, Gray's sedge will be a very ornamental plant with year round visual interest. The seed-topped stems are ideal for use as cut flowers, or in dried flower arrangements. The seeds are a food source for many bird species.
Native Range & Classification
Recorded County Distribution: USDA data
Native Range:
AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV
USDA Endangered Status:
- Threatened: MA
Classification
Kingdom | Plantae | Plants | |
Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants | |
Superdivision | Spermatophyta | Seed plants | |
Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants | |
Class | Monocotyledons | ||
Subclass | Commelinidae | ||
Order | Cyperales | ||
Family | Cyperaceae | Sedge family | |
Genus | Carex | sedge | |
Species | Carex grayi | Gray's sedge |