{"id":2925,"date":"2024-08-21T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T16:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourism.oregonstate.edu\/?p=2925"},"modified":"2023-07-17T11:48:33","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T18:48:33","slug":"slough-sedge-carex-obnupta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/slough-sedge-carex-obnupta\/","title":{"rendered":"Slough Sedge (Carex obnupta)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2774\/files\/2020\/08\/photo-1553758535-004c0d255426-sedge.jpg?resize=301%2C451&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2926\" width=\"301\" height=\"451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2774\/files\/2020\/08\/photo-1553758535-004c0d255426-sedge.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2774\/files\/2020\/08\/photo-1553758535-004c0d255426-sedge.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px\" \/><figcaption>Slough sedge (royalty free from Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Sedge grows well along the Pacific Coast. Slough sedge can be found along the coast from British Columbia south to northern California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This evergreen sedge is not a grass, but can take the place of a grass in wet and shallow bogs, marshes, and riverbanks. It also does well in meadows, ditches, swamps, and muddy areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is only one sedge in our area. The sedge will grow in salty, marshy, and freshwater areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Carex obnupta<\/em> is often found growing near Skunk cabbage (watch for the large yellow flowers). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slough sedge is available commercially and easily propagated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Importance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Why this lowly plant is important? It is key to maintaining wetlands functioning. The perennial sedge performs several functions such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Helping to control and maintain stream banks by minimizing erosion and improving stream structure.<\/li><li>Slowing sediment flow allows the nutrients to settle. This generates a nutrient rich habitat and improves water quality.<\/li><li>Abating storm water.<\/li><li>Supporting wetland species.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rhizomes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>C. <em>obnupta<\/em> accomplishes these tasks in several ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The horizontal, creeping rhizomes (root-like structures) help anchor the plant. The rhizome shoots can also generate new plants creating new Sedge tufts (or clumps) about a foot wide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A dense, underwater rhizome network develops as the clumps grow into larger beds or colonies. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Concealing Vegetation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The uneven tufted surface provides concealment, nesting, and bedding for many birds and mammals. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tall (up to four feet) male spikes rise above the shorter female flowers. Additional vegetative stems help conceal nest and bedding areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2774\/files\/2020\/08\/photo-1566016485076-c39a9adaca50-sedge.jpg?resize=600%2C400&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2774\/files\/2020\/08\/photo-1566016485076-c39a9adaca50-sedge.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2774\/files\/2020\/08\/photo-1566016485076-c39a9adaca50-sedge.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Slough sedge (Royalty free Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reproduction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Male flowers spikes typically rise above the female flowers and have yellow pollen at peak bloom time. Female flowers have a white sticky substance for collecting the pollen. Dark, lens-shaped seeds are stratified over the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fertile and non-fertile stems have different shapes. A cross-section cut of the fertile stems will reveal a triangular shape. Non-fertile, or vegetative stems without flowers have a \u201cW\u201d shape and were harvested for basketmaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The process of harvesting helps to move nutrients in that the process of creating more leaves transports nutrients from the rhizomes. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wildlife Supported<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Birds<\/strong>: Several birds take advantage of the foliage for bedding, nesting, and consume sedge seeds. Birds include game and other marsh\/shore\/song birds). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Wetland mammals<\/strong>: Muskrats, minks, beavers, and otters use the foliage to conceal their travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Insects<\/strong>: Several butterflies and moths are supported including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Umber Skipper (<em>Poanes melane<\/em>), <\/li><li>Common Ringlet (<em>Coenonympha tullia<\/em>), <\/li><li>American Ear Moth (<em>Amphipoea americana<\/em>), <\/li><li>Dun Skipper (<em>Euphyes vestris<\/em>), <\/li><li>Olive Green Cutworm Moth (<em>Dargida procinctus<\/em>), <\/li><li><em>Elachista cucullate<\/em>, and <\/li><li>Lesser Wainscot (<em>Mythimna oxygala<\/em>). <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NOTE<\/strong>: Slough sedge is considered invasive in some areas and is very difficult to remove. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>REFERENCES<\/strong>:<br>&#8211;East Multnomah Soil &amp; Water Conservation District (https:\/\/emswcd.org\/slough-sedge\/)<br>&#8211;USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Slough sedge brochure (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.plants.usda.gov\/plantguide\/pdf\/cs_caob3.pdf\">www.plants.usda.gov\/plantguide\/pdf\/cs_caob3.pdf<\/a>)\u00a0<br>&#8211;Wikipedia (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carex_obnupta)<br>&#8211;Univ. of Washington, Bothell (https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/wetlands\/plants\/carex-obnupta)<br>&#8211;California Native Plant Society (https:\/\/calscape.org\/Carex-obnupta-())<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sedge grows well along the Pacific Coast. Slough sedge can be found along the coast from British Columbia south to northern California. This evergreen sedge is not a grass, but can take the place of a grass in wet and shallow bogs, marshes, and riverbanks. It also does well in meadows, ditches, swamps, and muddy&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/slough-sedge-carex-obnupta\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10463,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1362719],"tags":[1362774],"class_list":["post-2925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flora","tag-wetland"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10463"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2928,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2925\/revisions\/2928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/coastaltourism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}