Carex disticha

Huds.

CyperaceaeRootsSeeds/Nuts

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(c) Anders Hastings, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Anders Hastings

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(c) François-Xavier Taxil, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by François-Xavier Taxil

What to Eat

Edible parts: Root, Seeds

The root can be eaten cooked, and the seed is also edible, though it is small and fiddly to work with.

Where to Find It

It is a cool temperate plant. It grows in damp meadows and grasslands.

Britain, Europe, Luxembourg,

Countries: Andorra, Albania, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Belarus, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, Ukraine

How to Identify

A perennial sedge reaching 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) tall and hardy to UK zone 5. Monoecious with wind-pollinated flowers blooming June to July, seeds ripening July to August. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils across mildly acidic to mildly alkaline pH ranges. Grows in semi-shade or full sun, preferring moist or wet conditions.

How to Grow

Easily grown in a damp to wet soil in full sun or shade. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Propagation: Sow seed in situ in spring in moist soil in light shade. If seed is scarce, sow in a cold frame and plant out in summer. Seed typically germinates in 2–6 weeks at 15°C. Divide in spring — larger clumps can go directly into permanent positions, but smaller clumps are best potted up and grown on in a cold frame until rooting well, then planted out in summer or the following spring.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Other Uses

The leaves are used for bedding.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Carex disticha is a Eurasian species of sedge known as the brown sedge or, in North America, tworank sedge.

Notes

There are about 2000 Carex species. There are 200 species in tropical America. It is used in medicine.

References (2)

Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Simpson, D. A. & Inglis, C. A., 2001, Cyperaceae of Economic, Ethnobotanical and Horticultural Importance: A checklist. Kew Bulletin Vol. 56, No. 2 (2001), pp. 257-360