Plant of the Week: Palm sedge, Oehme Muskingum sedge

Light: Partial shade

Height: 1 to 2 feet

Spread: 1 to 2 feet

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8

Origin: North America

What is the difference between a grass and a sedge?

A sedge has edges, meaning it has stems that are triangular, and grass is round and has leaf nodes (an enlarged area on the grass stem, where the grass blade connects to the stem. A visual example: the raised rings on bamboo).

A pretty sedge to try in your garden is Oehme Muskingum sedge (Carex muskingumensis ‘Oehme’). This sedge has vivid-green foliage with a yellow stripe on the margin that radiate around the stem like a palm tree or pinwheel. The leaves are 10 inches long and one-quarter to one-half inch wide.

In early summer, inflorescence (flowers) appear. One-inch light-green-to-brown florets appear along the stem.

Like other sedges and grasses, the Muskingum sedge is pollinated by wind. Seeds are spread by wind and water.

Carex muskingumensis is named after the Muskingum River in southeastern Ohio. Muskingum sedge thrives in swampy soils that contain a good amount of compost.

See this native Ohio sedge growing in the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

— Barbara Arnold

Franklin Park Conservatory