Carex appressa
FAMILY: CYPERACEAE
This is a plant that is happy to have its feet in the water all year round.
(Note the frog eggs in the corner behind it.)
It also grows on dry land, tolerating a surprising amount of drought. This makes it excellent as a plant for the edge of a dam or pond whose water might vary in height, but it is also good in shady nooks on the garden, dry watercourses, and areas of poor drainage.
It’s common name is “tall sedge”. How boring is that? For such a useful and attractive plant, I feel we should be able to do better!
I find it is a frog-favourite. My single pot of Carex creates a nice little niche for a pair of frogs to get together to produce eggs. After a croaky night, we often see a froth of eggs tucked in the corner behind it.
These are striped marsh frogs.
Like most Carex species, it is monoecious (having male and female flower-heads on the same plant). Female flower-stems are shorter than the males
Male flower head
Female (above) and male.
Detail. The male flower head has yellow anthers, which shed pollen.
The female flowers (behind) have sticky white styles, to catch the flying pollen. Only the female flower head will produce seeds.
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