Carex grayi / Gray’s Sedge

Gray’s sedge bears one of the most distinctive seedheads of all the sedges, a large mace-shaped ball accentuated by the prolonged beaks of its radiating perigynia. It is native to moist, rich soils such as those found in floodplains, swamp forests, and (occasionally) mesic woodlands.

Host plant for many butterflies, including: Appalachian Brown, Black Dash, Dion Skipper, Dun Skipper, Eyed Brown, Georgia Satyr, Mulberry Wing, and Two-spotted Skipper.

Height: 2′ – 3′        Blooms: April, May

Siting: Moist to wet soil, sun to part shade

Deer Resistance: High

Provenance: NJ