Characteristics:
Carex vulpinoidea is a vibrant wetland sedge with abundant, frequently evergreen foliage. The leaves are narrow, delicate, and surprisingly tough. In summertime, bristly brown seed clusters dot the wetlands, giving this sedge its name. Foxtail sedge thrives wherever the ground is marshy.
Cultivation:
Grows well in damp to very wet soils in full sun to partial shade. Seeds should be planted in the fall or moist-stratified and planted in the spring. Carex vulpinoidea is particularly valuable for erosion control in bioswales. Its ability to populate disturbed places makes this sedge a good choice for wetland restoration. Plants can be used to hold ground and are useful in stormwater projects and rain gardens.
Ecology:
The number of fauna that use Carex spp. (Sedges) is large. Quite a few grasshopper species feed on sedge leaves and stems. A great many butterflies, skippers, and moths feed on one or more sedges as caterpillars. Several leafhoppers prefer to feed on sedges, especially Cosmotettix spp. The nymphs of spittlebugs Lempyron angulifera and Philaenus parallelus suck juices from sedges while hiding in their spittle-foam. Among vertebrates, the seeds are an important source of food to various songbirds, waterfowl and other birds.
Etymology:
The Latin genus name for sedges, ‘Carex’, means ‘cutter’ in reference to the sharp leaves and stem edges. Remember: Sedges have edges, rushes are round, and grasses are hollow like holes in the ground.
Habitat:
Swamps, marshes, seeps, pond and lake margins, wet meadows, and ditches
Carex vulpinoidea
Fox Sedge
Type: Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Height: 1 to 3 ft
Spread: .5 to 2 ft
Bloom: Green, May to July
Sun: Full Sun - Part Shade
Water: Wet
Tolerates: deer, wet soils
