About Carex appressa R.Br.
Carex appressa R.Br. is a densely tufted perennial sedge that forms clumps up to 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter. Its stems grow to roughly 100 cm (39 inches) in height; they are hard, solid, and become rough toward the top of the stem. The plant's leaves are 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 inches) wide, rough on the margins, and mostly grow out from the plant's base. It produces a brownish, spike-like inflorescence that is 5–25 cm (2.0–9.8 inches) long, made up of 20 or more individual spikes. It bears numerous oval-shaped, brownish spikelets approximately 5 mm (0.20 inches) long, with both male and female flowers growing mixed together within the spikes. Its nut develops inside a flattened, oval-shaped, hairless, beaked sack called a utricle that is 3–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 inches) long. Carex appressa grows in swamps, watercourses, and occasionally grows in water. It acts as a larval food plant for the butterfly species Heteronympha cordace.
