Bottlebrush Sedge (Carex comosa)
Carex comosa, commonly known as Bottlebrush Sedge, is a native perennial sedge found in wetlands, marshes, lake edges, and wet meadows throughout Illinois. It thrives in moist to wet soils and prefers full sun to partial shade.
This plant features long, arching, grass-like leaves and distinctive, cylindrical flower spikes covered in bristly, bottlebrush-like seed heads that appear in late spring to early summer. The seeds provide food for birds and other wildlife, while the plant's dense root system helps prevent erosion and improve soil stability in wetland habitats.
For Illinois native plant enthusiasts, Carex comosa is an excellent addition to rain gardens, shoreline plantings, and wetland restorations, offering ecological benefits, erosion control, and habitat support for wildlife.
Carex comosa, commonly known as Bottlebrush Sedge, is a native perennial sedge found in wetlands, marshes, lake edges, and wet meadows throughout Illinois. It thrives in moist to wet soils and prefers full sun to partial shade.
This plant features long, arching, grass-like leaves and distinctive, cylindrical flower spikes covered in bristly, bottlebrush-like seed heads that appear in late spring to early summer. The seeds provide food for birds and other wildlife, while the plant's dense root system helps prevent erosion and improve soil stability in wetland habitats.
For Illinois native plant enthusiasts, Carex comosa is an excellent addition to rain gardens, shoreline plantings, and wetland restorations, offering ecological benefits, erosion control, and habitat support for wildlife.
Carex comosa, commonly known as Bottlebrush Sedge, is a native perennial sedge found in wetlands, marshes, lake edges, and wet meadows throughout Illinois. It thrives in moist to wet soils and prefers full sun to partial shade.
This plant features long, arching, grass-like leaves and distinctive, cylindrical flower spikes covered in bristly, bottlebrush-like seed heads that appear in late spring to early summer. The seeds provide food for birds and other wildlife, while the plant's dense root system helps prevent erosion and improve soil stability in wetland habitats.
For Illinois native plant enthusiasts, Carex comosa is an excellent addition to rain gardens, shoreline plantings, and wetland restorations, offering ecological benefits, erosion control, and habitat support for wildlife.
Bloom: late spring to early summer
Habitats: bogs; ditches; margins of ponds and oxbow lakes; marshes; seeps; swales in damp meadows; swamps
Lifespan: perennial
Moisture: wet
Plant type (height): sedge (2 to 3.5 feet)
Requirements: full sun to light shade
Soil: mucky or slightly sandy soil