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Carex plantaginea plantainleaf sedge
plantainleaf sedge
Characteristics
Descriptions
Also known as:
seersucker sedge
Light Requirements
part-shade, shade
Soil Moisture
moist
Soil Description
acid, neutral, alkaline, rich, average, loam, clay, gravel/rock
Height
10"-12"
Recommended Spacing
10"-12"
Bloom Time
April, May
Hardiness Zone
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Description
With its broad lime-green to chartreuse, conspicuously dimpled evergreen-ish foliage, Carex plantaginea is one of the showiest woodland sedges. It is compact, with 1” wide arching leaves forming neat clumps about 1’ in diameter and almost as tall. Commonly called plantainleaf sedge, Carex plantaginea lends a lush feel to plantings, and the visual texture provides contrast with other perennial foliage. The actual texture is fun, too. Run your fingers over the broad, almost pleated, leaves. You’ll feel and see why its other common name is seersucker sedge. It evokes the clothing worn in hot climates to cool things down.
Its range is primarily east of the Mississippi River, where it grows in rich, moist soils in forests and along streams and depressions. In the Southeast it’s confined mainly to moist, mountainous habitats. Fortunately, Carex plantaginea adapts fairly well to typical garden conditions, although it can struggle in the heat and humidity of the deep South. Although not grown for its flowers, they are quite cute in their own right and resemble puffed out Q-tips floating about 10” above the foliage. The blooming period typically occurs mid-spring. With its unique foliage and dense habit, it’s a charming groundcover that plays well with other woodland species. It also makes a great container plant.
Cultivation
Cultivation is easy. Plantainleaf sedge prefers consistently moist soil rich in organic matter and light to medium shade. However, as with many plants with the same requirements, it will tolerate brighter conditions in areas with more moisture, and drier conditions in areas with more shade. Use it at will in a shaded border and take advantage of its bold foliage to contrast with other shade-loving plants.
Recommended Spacing
Space plants 10"-12" on center.
This is not an aggressive species. It can spread by seed under ideal conditions and form colonies, but it typically stays put and forms clumps via short rhizomes and a fibrous root system. So, no need to be bashful with this one.
Companion Plants
Plantainleaf sedge happily shares space with woodland species like Heuchera vilosa (hairy alumroot) or Heuchera americana (American alumroot), Aquilegia canadensis (American columbine), Tiarella cordifolia (heartleaf foamflower), Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox), Athyrium filix-femina (common ladyfern), and Sedum ternatum (woodland stonecrop).
Additional Notes
Carex plantaginea has pollinator power, supporting caterpillars who eat its leaves and serving as a larval host for skippers in the Mid-Atlantic. The roots have been used by the Menomini Indians as a charm to prevent snakebite and as a remedy if the snake is successful.
The etymology of the genus Carex is difficult to peg. Species from this genus can be found just about throughout the globe, and have been recognized for millenia. So arguably, the name could have its origins from Proto-Indo-European, Sanskrit, Middle Low German, Russian, Lithuanian...or all of the above. However, the Carex genus was established by the father of modern taxonomy Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The specific epithet, plantaginea, means plantain-like (as in the common name: plantainleaf sedge), and is derived from the Latin word, planta, which refers to the sole of the foot. In other words, these plants tend to be flat-ish, broad, close to the ground, or all of the above.
Pricing & Availability
Would you like your plants shipped later? You may choose to do so in the shopping cart.
Note: Early spring shipments might include plants that have not yet broken dormancy, or have not been vernalized and will be frost-tender. Please use your best judgment when selecting your preferred ship week.
Note: Early spring shipments might include plants that have not yet broken dormancy, or have not been vernalized and will be frost-tender. Please use your best judgment when selecting your preferred ship week.
Did you know? When plants are available from multiple growers, we list growers closest to your location first.
Why choose plants from the nearest grower? Choosing a the grower closest to you makes it more likely the plants are consistent with your ecoregion and better adapted to your location. In addition, shipping plants shorter distances typically uses fewer resources, something we can all get behind!
Why choose plants from the nearest grower? Choosing a the grower closest to you makes it more likely the plants are consistent with your ecoregion and better adapted to your location. In addition, shipping plants shorter distances typically uses fewer resources, something we can all get behind!
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Maps, Wetland Status & More
MAP OF NATIVE RANGE
Recorded County Distribution: USDA data.
Native To
| AL, CT, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV |
Legal Status
| Endangered | MN, NJ |
Wetland Status
MAP OF WETLAND DELINEATION REGIONS
Interpreting Wetland Status
|
Code |
Status |
Designation |
Comment |
|
OBL |
Obligate Wetland |
Hydrophyte |
Almost always occur in wetlands |
|
FACW |
Facultative Wetland |
Hydrophyte |
Usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands |
|
FAC |
Facultative |
Hydrophyte |
Occur in wetlands and non-wetlands |
|
FACU |
Facultative Upland |
Nonhydrophyte |
Usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands |
|
UPL |
Obligate Upland |
Nonhydrophyte |
Almost never occur in wetlands |
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta | Seed plants |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocotyledons |
| Subclass | Commelinidae | |
| Order | Cyperales | |
| Family | Cyperaceae | Sedge family |
| Genus | Carex | sedge |
| Species | Carex plantaginea | plantainleaf sedge |
ADDITIONAL COMMON NAMES:
plantain-leaved sedge, seersucker sedge
Plant Sizes
Sizes Sizes
Sizes info
Shipping & Planting
SHIPPING INFO:
Shipping is free on all plants orders!
Your plants will ship using each grower’s preferred method: FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, or Spee-Dee Ground (in select midwestern states). Our growers ship orders Monday through Wednesday. The farther your plants need to travel, the earlier in the week they will ship. The goal is to have all plants delivered by the end of the week.
Shipping plugs:
Plugs are shipped in full flats, sometimes also referred to as trays. Multiple flats can be shipped in a single box. The flats are wrapped in netting or craft paper to secure the plants, and spacers are used between flats to keep the plants from being crushed.
When you unpack your plugs, the plants will have been somewhat flattened by the netting or craft paper. They will straighten out within a couple of days. You may also gently “fluff” them a bit to speed up the process. In some cases, your plants might have been cut back before packing, if the grower deemed them to have become too tall for safe packaging. Don’t worry, though, these guys know what they’re doing and would not compromise the health of the plants. They’ll fill back in in no time.
After receiving your plants’ journey in a dark box, it will be important to acclimate them to sunlight again. Over a couple of days, you should gradually move them into their preferred light exposure, and water them as per their requirement.
Although we always recommend putting your plants in the ground as soon as possible, they can stay healthy in the flats for a considerable amount of time. The key is to respect their growing requirements: if the species requires full sun, do not store them in the shade. If it is best adapted to dry soil, do not over-water.
PLANTING INFO:
Planting plugs:
We consider plugs ready to ship when the plants’ roots have filled the entire liner cell and the plants can easily be pulled out. In some cases you will have to go about it gently, wiggling the plant by the crown, and possibly squeezing the bottom of the liner to compress the growing medium and release the roots. Other times, the plants will appear to be root bound. They are not in the traditional sense. The plants are healthy but they have used up all the growing medium available to them. Plugs are at an aggressive stage of growth. As soon as planted the roots will immediately expand into your native soil. They establish faster than plants in larger containers, because they don’t have the luxury of a lot of growing media that can inhibit the roots from venturing outside of their comfort zone.
We are not going to address area preparation because the process can be complex and is always site-specific. However, as a rule, we recommend disturbing the soil as little as possible, and we do not recommend amending the soil. If you chose the right plant for the right conditions they will thrive. Any disturbance and amendments will only encourage weeds to emerge that never had a chance to do so before.
Installing plugs cannot be easier: dig a hole large enough for the roots to fit snugly inside, then water them in to eliminate air gaps. We recommend using a soil knife, sometimes referred to as hori hori, or a drill-adapted auger if it’s a large installation. If you use an auger, you will need a powerful drill. Depending on the size of the project and the type of soil, the process can be beyond what an average drill will bear. Mulching is recommended after installation to help keep weeds down while the plants establish. Be sure to keep it away from the crown of the plants. For large projects, you may want to mulch the area before planting, rather than tiptoeing through it after the fact. As a side note: if you are installing plugs in the fall, you might want to plant them so that the crown is about ¾” lower than the surrounding soil. The winter’s freeze/thaw cycles can push plugs out if the roots did not have enough time to establish and anchor them in.