SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carex lacustris
COMMON NAMES: Common Lake Sedge, Lakebank Sedge, Hairy Sedge, Ripgut Sedge
BLOOM TIME: May, June, July
PLANT PROFILE:
- 2 ½-4 ft. tall with strongly 3 angled stems.
- Leaf-blades are ¾ in. to 3 ft. long and 20 mm across.
- Bright green 3 ft. spikelets with flowers as fuzzy topped spikes.
- Habitat: full or partial sun & wet conditions, in water up to 20 inches deep.
- Occasional found in northern and central Illinois in wet prairies, small lakes & ponds.
- This is a large impact plant, useful for erosion along slow rivers & ponds.
- Used in wetland restorations.
INSECT/ANIMAL INTERACTIONS:
- Many insects feed on foliage, stems, & seeds including several aquatic leaf beetles, Sedge Billbug, many aphids, and the spittlebug.
- Other insects that feed on sedge include grasshoppers, caterpillars of several skippers, caterpillars of the Appalachian Brown and Eyed Brown butterflies, & caterpillars of several moths