Irish wildflowers sitemap More: Sedges, Club-rushes

Starved Wood-sedge, Carex depauperata

Starved Wood-sedge
Carex depauperata
Cíb choille bhocht
Family: Cyperaceae

Flowering May-June, fruiting June-July. Perennial. Native.
Identified by Paul Green

Long-stalked, short flower spikelets with longer leaf-like bracts. Single, terminal male spikelet and 2-4 widely separated, few-flowered (2-6) female spikelets. Large (to 9mm), ovoid fruit with a long, obliquely truncate beak. Leaves with shiny, purplish sheaths, shorter than stems. Creeping rhizomes. Stems 30-100cm.

Very rare in dry, open woodland on calcareous soil. In Ireland only known from one site in Co. Cork.

Similar: Wood Sedge, Carex sylvatica


Starved Wood-sedge, Carex depauperata       Starved Wood-sedge, Carex depauperata


Starved Wood-sedge, Carex depauperata


Starved Wood-sedge, Carex depauperata
Starved Wood-sedge, Carex depauperata. July 2009

Please Contact me if you find mistakes. All images used are copyright.