Scientific Name:
Carex testacea
Pronunciation:
KAIR-ecks tess-TAY-see-uh
Common Name:
copper hair sedge, New Zealand orange sedge
Family Name:
Cyperaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Poales (grass-like)
Key ID Features:
Leaves basal, linear, 40-60cm long x 1.5-4.5mm wide, arching, green near base to mostly coppery brown (on the same plant); fruit is a brown braid on 1mm floppy stalk (arching and trailing to the ground).
Habit:
Arching
Form:
Weeping
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Origin:
Australia / New Zealand
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich
Landscape Uses:
Ground cover, Group or mass planting, Perennial border, Waterside planting
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Grass-like
Arrangement:
Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Green-yellow, Brown, Bronze, Initially pale olive-green
Colour in Fall:
Brown, Bronze
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Spikelet, Spike-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Brown (pale to dark brown)
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun
Additional Info:
Spikelets arranged in spikes.
Fruit Type:
Achene
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug
Bark or Stem Colour:
n/a
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
