Marsh Flat Sedge

Cyperus pseudovegetus

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 1: 302.

What is Marsh Flat Sedge?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

• Number of leaves vary
• Up to as long as the stem

Flowers:

• 0.78-3.5 inches long
• 3-6 bracts

Spikelets:

• 0.09-0.16 inches long
• 0.09-0.13 inches wide
• Oval-shaped
• 6-14 flowers
• Brown in color

Fruit:

• Dry
• Does not open to release fruit when ripe
• Linear
• About 0.05 inches long
• About 0.02 inches thick
• 3-angled
• Short near base
• Slightly shaped like a hook
• Brown in color

Stem:

• Hollow stems
• 1-2.75 feet long
• Few leaves around base
• 0.08-0.2 inches thick near base
• 0.05-0.09 inches thick just under the flower
• Smooth

Where Does it Grow?

Marsh flat sedge can be found in moist places around ponds and lakes, and in marshes and seepage areas.

Pros and Cons of Marsh Flat Sedge

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.