Carex davalliana - Davall's sedge

The Carex davalliana, also known as Davall's Sedge, is a small-sized species that produces a dense and rounded tuft of very fine green foliage, topped with brown spikelets in spring or summer depending on the climate. A protected species in France, native to mainly Central Europe, it can be found in marshes and peat bogs up to an altitude of 2500m. It is a densely tufted sedge with running rhizomes, valuable in any cool, moist, and even marshy soil.

Carex davalliana belongs to the Cyperaceae family. Native to Europe, it is present in France, predominantly in mountainous areas. This rhizomatous plant, similar in appearance to grasses, with a running rhizome, forms an upright tuft, reaching a height of 30cm with the same spread, expanding over time to form large colonies in moist soils. Its leaves, evergreen in winter, sheathing at the base, are long, slender (4 to 8mm wide), and linear, with tapering edges and a slightly trailing habit. The older leaves dry up in winter to make way for new leaves in spring. In spring, in April-May depending on the climate, floral stems appear, bearing male or female flower spikes. The male inflorescence is cylindrical and very slender, while the female inflorescence carries acute utricles with long beaks that spread out when ripe.

Carex davalliana can thrive in any type of cool to moist area, in full sun or partial shade. Its possible use in limestone soil and at high altitudes makes it highly versatile. Its tufting and running behaviour makes it a useful ground cover in the wettest, even marshy, areas where its running rhizomes gradually spread. Its dense tuft, very fine foliage, and spikelets make it a useful and ornamental plant.