Carex nubigena
D. Don ex Tilloch & Taylor
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(c) Kuan-Chieh (Chuck) Hung, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Kuan-Chieh (Chuck) Hung
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Summary
A perennial sedge with monoecious flowers pollinated by wind. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils across mildly acid to basic pH ranges. Grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist to wet conditions.
Description
A sedge. These grow in clumps and have grass like leaves and solid stalks. It grows 7-45 cm high. It has a short underground stem or rhizome and the plant keeps growing from year to year. The stems are about 1 mm across and triangle shaped. The leaves are about as long as the stems. The blades can be 2 mm wide. The male and female flower parts are in 3-10 spikes in heads up to 4 cm long. The nut is about 1.5 mm long by 8 mm wide.
Edible Uses
The root can be eaten cooked, and the seed is also edible, though it is small and fiddly to work with.
Medicinal Uses
One report notes that the plant has medicinal uses but provides no further details.
Distribution
It grows in temperate and tropical regions. In Pakistan it grows on grassy slopes and in forested areas. In southern China it grows along streamsides and on the edges of forests in wet places between 1,300-3,700 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam,
Cultivation
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. 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.
Other Uses
None known.
Notes
There are about 2000 Carex species. There are 200 species in tropical America.
References (2)
- Philos. Mag. J. 62:455. 1823 (D. Don, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 14:326. 1825)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
