SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carex grayi
COMMON NAMES: Morning-star Sedge, Common Bur Sedge, Asa Gray's Sedge, Gray's Sedge, Mace Sedge
BLOOM TIME: May, June, July, Aug
PLANT PROFILE:
- Called "mace" sedge because seed head resembles a cute version of the medieval weapon called a mace.
INSECT/ANIMAL INTERACTIONS:
- It is unusual that it grows in both wetland & woodland being a food source to creatures in both habitats
- Butterfly caterpillars & moth larvae feed on this sedge.
- Seeds & seed heads are fairly important sources of food for various birds.
- Seeds of sedges occurring in swampy woodlands are eaten by Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Wood Duck, American Woodcock, & Swamp Sparrow.
- Muskrat occasionally feeds on rhizomes, culms, & young shoots of sedges.
- White-Tailed Deer & Black Bear feed on the foliage sparingly.