SPECIES: GRASSES, RUSHES, AND SEDGES . Grasses, Sedges and Rushes all belong to the same plant family, that of Flowering plants (Angiosperms) and so are frequently confused with each other as they often have very similar characteristics. This common rhyme can help you remember the key differences between the Sedge, Rush, and Grass families. Grasses. This simple but effective poem may help you to distinguish sedge from a rush from a grass: “Sedges have edges and rushes are round, grasses are hollow and rush all around.” Another version goes like this, “Sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have nodes and willows abound.” Personally I … Here is a little rhyme to help tell the three apart: "sedges have edges, rushes are round, and grasses have joints." Grasses are hollow. Juncus … Carex laxiculmis leaf blade: Adapted from: Budd’s Flora of the Canadian Prairie Provinces, Looman and Best, 1979. While many members of the grass, sedge and rush families provide abundant planting choices, don’t forget to … The small flower/seed heads occur at the tips of the stems. About a quarter of the plants that one encounters at Acadia National Park appear "grass-like." Most often they are perennials. It all started with a blizzard that pushed us right into excessive heat of summer before May was out. Sedges have edges, and rushes are round, But grasses have nodes from their tips to the ground. Or “Sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses are hollow, what have you found?” And one more that you might find useful: “Sedges have edges, rushes are round, and grasses have joints.” All of these are meant to offer clues for identification. A COMPARISON OF GRASSES, SEDGES, AND RUSHES . Rushes are round. "Sedges have edges. Common name of sedge comes from the Latin word for sedge (secafre) meaning to cut in reference to the sharp leaf edges. Sedges have edges. The amateur would probably call all of these grasses, but in fact some are sedges and some are rushes. Grasses are usually dominant in coastal prairies and grasslands. Ever heard the ditty “sedges have edges and rushes are round”? Sedges tend to grow in damp ground, often bordering swamps and streams. We hadn't had more than a few hours rain over the month, so little that, with the heat, high sun, and drying wind, even succulents were bowing to the ground. The “edges” are there because of the way the leaves meet each other along their edges, while the “round” rushes usually have one leaf sheathing the stem. Rushes and sedges are grass-like plants that often grow in or adjacent the seasonally wetter areas in coastal grasslands. Rushes are evergreen, with a texture similar to a grass. Rushes • Sedges: Solid, triangular stems (“sedges have edges”) with some exceptions; leaves 3-ranked; fruit a nutlet subtended by a scale • Grasses: Hollow (between the nodes), round stems; leaves 2- ranked; fruit a grain covered by two papery scales This is describing the round blades/stems of a rush, each pushing directly from the soil with no branching. Rushes are round. Most sedges have triangular stems ("edges"), except for Scripus, which has round stems. What have you found?" Sedges vs. Grasses vs. Sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have knees that bend to the ground. Sedge ID Terminology •Inflorescences (flowers): •Panicle: multi-branched inflorescence •Spikelet: small spike with reduced , except for Scripus, which has round stems the round blades/stems of a Rush, and families. Flora of the stems most sedges have triangular stems ( `` edges '' ) except! Summer before May was out was out '' ), except for Scripus, has. 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