Ivory Sedge (Carex eburnea)

$5.00

Ivory Sedge is such a great plant to have in the landscape. It looks great in full sun and full shade, but the best part is that it likes dry areas. It is very attractive, short, and grows in round clumps. It will spread slowly by rhizomes forming a cute ground cover. There was little information that I could find about its faunal associations, but 28 species of butterflies and moths use Sedges as a host plant in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023).

Ivory Sedge is such a great plant to have in the landscape. It looks great in full sun and full shade, but the best part is that it likes dry areas. It is very attractive, short, and grows in round clumps. It will spread slowly by rhizomes forming a cute ground cover. There was little information that I could find about its faunal associations, but 28 species of butterflies and moths use Sedges as a host plant in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023).

Life Cycle: Perennial 

Sun Exposure: Full-Partial-Shade

Soil Moisture: Medium-Dry

Height: 3-12 inches

Bloom Time: May-June

Advantages: Deer Resistant, Rain Garden, Caterpillar Favorite, Great Landscape Plant

Host: 28 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023)

Beneficial for Endangered or Threatened Species: Macoun's arctic (Oeneis macounii) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)

Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023