Carex praegracilis

Slender Sedge

Carex praegracilis (Slender Sedge) is a slender-leafed sedge that can be found in spring wet meadows. The plants have a predominately bunching characteristic, although they are slightly rhizomatous. Flowers are small and brown, with the total inflorescence size equaling ~2.5 cm. Inflorescences sit atop triangular stalks (hence the identification rhyme "Sedges have edges"), and flowers begin to appear in late winter. Slender Sedges are drought tolerant, will tolerate mowing, and will take both shade and full sun. We recommend them for use as a native lawn that will require less water and less mowing than a traditional lawn (for a lawn, they need mowing at most once a month, and while becoming established need a good soaking once every 4-6 weeks). Once Slender Sedges are established, their roots can extend down up to 6 feet into good soil. They are an important part of canal and riparian revegetation/restoration.

This plant is available in both seed and plugs, however, we generally recommend using plugs over seed. For most planting situations, we recommend planting plugs on one foot centers. We have 3 ecotypes for Carex praegracilis: Yolo Bypass in Yolo County, Bear Valley in Colusa County, and Tiburon in Marin County.