Common Name: sand-dune sedge
Type: Rush or Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Native Range: British Columbia to California
Zone: 7 to 10
Height: 1.00 to 1.25 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: April to July
Bloom Description: Brown
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize, Rain Garden
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Evergreen
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist, well-draining, sandy soils in full sun. Tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions including part shade, dry soils, and slopes. Tolerant of drought once established. Hardy in Zones 7b(10-5°F)-10. Dry conditions may trigger summer dormancy. Keep plantings green by irrigating once every 1-3 weeks during dry periods if desired.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Carex pansa, commonly called dune sedge, sand dune sedge, or California meadow sedge, is a rhizomatous, evergreen, spreading sedge species native to dunes, estuaries, stream banks, and other open, sandy, coastal habitats along the Pacific coast of North America from southern California north to British Columbia. Upright stems reaching 12-15" tall hold 8-10" long, narrow, arching leaves. Small clusters of horticulturally insignificant, brownish colored flowers bloom on similarly upright to arching, thin, airy stems. Spreads by underground rhizomes to form colonies.
Genus name from Latin means cutter in reference to the sharp leaves and stem edges (rushes are round but sedges have edges) found on most species' plants.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note. Tolerant of deer browse once established.
Uses
Ground cover, mass planting, meadow garden, rain garden, slopes, naturalize. Suitable for use as a replacement for turfgrass in lawn. Can be mowed periodically or left unmowed. Tolerates light foot traffic.