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Cyperaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Carex rossii

Carex rossii

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Carex rossii is a very cold-hardy plant and is suited to boreal, temperate, cool, semi-arid, mesothermal and xerophytic climates[1].. Unlike the majority of species in this genus, Carex rossii is a plant of exposed, sunny sites with soil drought for part of the year[2]. This species is described as a strong competitor which thrives on hostile and disturbed sites and is a dominant understorey species in many communities where it occurs. It is drought, trampling, browsing, and even oil spills tolerant and is very hard to remove from places where it grows[1]. The plant is very fire tolerant, the roots survives most fires and the plant soon returns to pre-burn levels[2]. The seed can remain viable for long periods of time in the soil[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in the spring in a moist soil in light shade. If seed is in short supply it can be sown in a cold frame and be planted out in the summer. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 15°c[3]. Species in this genus, when started from seed tend to stay diminutive for over a year, with plant leaves remaining stunted and fragile for a considerable period of time[4]. Division in spring[5]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Carex+rossii>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  2. [2]Major Indicator Shrubs and Herbs on National Forests of Eastern Washington — Williams C.K. & Lillybridge T.R. · USDA Forest Service; Pacific Northwest Region · 1987` ↩︎
  3. [3]Growing from Seed. Volume 3. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1989 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  4. [4]Plants Database — United States Department of Agriculture · http://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet ↩︎An online database with an excellent collection of fact sheets about native N. American plants.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  7. [7]Fire Effects Information System — http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ ↩︎An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
  8. [8]A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers — Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. · The Riverside Press · 1963 · ISBN 63-7093 ↩︎Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.