Promoting environmentally sound gardening practices for over 35 years! Sweet vernal-grass. Both are in the order Poales, but they are in different families: Grasses = Poaceae (of the graminid clade) Sedges = Cyperaceae (of the [non-monophyletic] 1 cypirid lineage) Some anatomical differences: Editors: Steven Bell, Margaret Brown, Brigitte Coulton, Kimberly Marsho, Marsha Mercer,  & Christa Watters This covers a selection of grasses, sedges and rushes with a Scotland bias as well a load of other plants (including ferns and some mosses and liverworts). Native grasses serve as larval host plants in the lifecycle of many butterflies, moths and skippers. Like grasses, sedges tend to form in either dense clumps or tufts. Leaves with parallel veins. The stems, or culms, of grasses are round in form, and typically hollow. The stems of sedges, on the other hand, are generally solid and triangular (note the mnemonic “Sedges have edges”). Students of botany use the rhyme: 'Sedges have edges, Rushes are round, Grasses have nodes from their tips to the ground.' Grasses have joints; sedges have edges. The Grass & Sedge Comparison Chart is a list of common grass and sedge perennials grown at Johnson's Nursery. They never open. 3. Grass-like plants include sedges (Cyperaceae) and rushes (Juncaceae). Forbs are herbs other than grasses. The "edge" refers to the edges of the triangular stems most sedges share. Common club-rush. Hard rush. 4. Students of botany use the rhyme: 'Sedges have edges, Rushes are round, Grasses have nodes from their tips to the ground.' You’ll find updated plant descriptions and more photos, but the best part is a new comparison chart. Grasses and Sedges Overview Barnyardgrass … Warm-season grasses grow rapidly only after daily temperatures reach 60 to 65 degrees. Field wood-rush. Certain types of grass can act as weeds and take over your lawn. See Minnesota Wildflowers for a great summary with images. Marram grass. Grasses, and the grass-like rushes and sedges, make an excellent addition to any garden. have relatively little economic value--except that sometimes they are so successful they out-compete more desirable flora in farm and garden. Grasses are a group within the monocotyledon classification. Sedges have triangular-shaped, solid stems. Grasses and sedge are versatile ornamental plants used landscapes, and vary in sun preferences, sizes, colors, textures, and habits from low clump forming to strongly upright. As with grasses, the apparent seeds of sedges are achenes (AY-keens), which are small seedlike fruits containing just one seed. The stems of grasses are hollow and either round or flat  with swollen nodes or joints along the stems. Rushes (Juncaceae), by contrast, have small capsular fruits shaving three chambers, opening along three splits to release multiple seeds. Sedges have edges, and they're in different families. Johnson’s Nursery, Inc.™ is a third generation, family-owned business. They can grow single flowers or clusters of blossoms. Grasses can be annuals or perennials, and they are further categorized as either cool or warm-season plants. Species landing page for Grasses, sedges and rushes. Grasses have leaves in two rows, their stems are hollow, with nodes wider than the stem. Below is a range of sedge ligules. Sedges vs. Grasses vs. Grasses are digestible, circular and smooth; making some nice bedding and easy on the mouth. Subscribe to our website! Gardeners usually refer to plants with long, simple leaves and parallel veins as “grasslike.” But what are the differences between grasses, sedges, and rushes? contributors include: Committee Members: Leslie Cameron, Tyler Ormsby, Marilyn Thomson, & Rachel Vecchio End of Grade 8. Wholesale inventory requires a customer account. Sedge fruits are nutlets, and are enfolded by a single scale. When you look at a grass or sedge, what you see are the stems, leaves, and flowers. Our wholesale clientele of municipalities, landscape contractors, garden centers, and other nurseries can arrange to pick up material either in Menomonee Falls or our Jackson, WI Farm holding yards. Sedges for Lawn Alternatives. Forbs are herbaceous (not woody), broadleaf plants that are not grass-like. Pond sedges are quite easy to recognise as they tend to be quite big plants that grow in lakes, ponds and swamps but distinguishing between greater and lesser pond sedge is a bit more difficult. Grasses and sedges are both classified as monocots. Grass and Sedge Workshop. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Fibrous roots. Not all possible situations are covered. Grasses produce both vegetative and floral stems, while sedges produce only floral stems. Grasses have swollen nodes or joints along their stems, while sedges do not. Graphics: Marilyn Thomson In addition, the authors are careful to highlight the subtle differences in similar species to avoid confusion, as well as offering relevant notes on plant survival strategies, invasiveness, and how different plants fit within the broader ecological landscape. Sedges have edges, Rushes are round, Grasses have nodes from the top to the ground. 1. Their leaf blades may be folded, and the base of each leaf is closed around the stem. Some grasses are very important agricultural crops, including wheat, hay, and barley in the U.S. (plus bamboo and rice in the Orient), while sedges such as Carexspp. Their fibrous roots can be a single large taproot, a system of thin roots, or both. Essentially we are a wholesale grower that welcomes the general public. grass weeds; sedges and bulbs. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEDGES AND GRASSES? There is a little rhyme to keep them in our heads: ‘Sedges have edges Rushes are round Grasses are hollow Right down to the ground’ They are fantastic indicators of habitat type but some people find them a little tricky to identify. We hope this information helps. Weeds fall into one of three main categories. Examples of sedge flower stalks, Carex pensylvanica and Carex plantaginea. Grass stems are typically round or flat and hollow, while sedge stems are typically triangular and solid. Our ongoing series, Sedges Make Sense, continues with Carex that work as alternatives to turf grass lawns. Trees woods and wildlife About us. These are plants whose seeds have one cotyledon (the part that will grow into embryonic leaves), and which possess flower parts in multiples of three, leaves with parallel veins, and scattered vascular bundles. It may seem to the untrained eye that sedges and grasses look similar but they are adapted to survive in different environments. The leaves of grasses are said to be “two-ranked,” meaning they grow in two rows on opposite sides of the stem. The Grass & Sedge Comparison Chart is a list of common grass and sedge perennials grown at Johnson's Nursery. The MGNV website is maintained and created by the MGNV Social Media Committee with input from MGNV and VCE. Johnson’s Nursery provides Retail sales and Landscape design/build services from our Menomonee Falls headquarters. They generally prefer moist to wet environments. True fox-sedge. The region offers some wonderful native plants that can bring the moody and flowing look of these plant communities to your landscape. This is useful, but not always the case. Grasses, sedges and rushes Grasses, sedges and rushes. Grasses and bamboos are in the Graminaceae family, sedges are in the Cyperaceae family, and rushes are in the Juncaceae family. They are sometimes difficult to tell apart, but they can be distinguished from one another by differences in their structures, habitats or life cycles. The grasses etc. Distinguishing broadleaves, grasses, and sedges. They both favour the same habitats and are both common. Sedge leaf variety. Rush stems, on the other hand, are round and solid. Distinguishing broadleaves, grasses, and sedges. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Enter Species Name. extend to 68 pages, with no space wasted (not the case in Price's book) and covers many more species in a style that is similarly friendly and well illustrated (with photos). Visit Our Public Inventory. Most of the plants featured on this website grow elsewhere in eastern North America, and many grow elsewhere in the world. While they resemble each other superficially, grasses are members of the Poaceae family and sedges belong to the Cyperaceae family. Cool-season grasses start growing early in the spring, and develop slowly during the period of cool weather and rain. Some grasses are Wisconsin native plants! The fibrous roots of grasses can measure 6 feet  or more in depth, allowing them to absorb water and minerals and stabilizing both the plant and the soil. by Elaine Mills, Certified Master Gardener, Multiple Flowering Dogwood trees are stunning in n, At 15 to 30 feet tall, Flowering Dogwood is attrac, Master Gardener Organizations in Virginia, Teaching Garden at Fairlington Community Center, Master Gardener Tribute Garden at Fairlington Community Center, Organic Vegetable Garden at Potomac Overlook Regional Park, Educational Videos from Glencarlyn Library Community Garden, Tried & True Native Plants for the Mid-Atlantic, Planting Dates for Arlington and Alexandria, Select On-Line References for Kitchen Gardening, Gardening Basics for Arlington & Alexandria, VA, Community Gardens in Arlington & Alexandria, Between the Rows – A Guide to Vegetable Gardening, Creating Inviting Habitats for the Birds, Butterflies & Hummingbirds, Virginia Cooperative Extension Publications, Virginia Cooperative Extension – Alexandria Office, Virginia Cooperative Extension – Arlington Office. Visual Arts: Apply knowledge of techniques to create works. The stems of sedges and rushes are solid; in cross-section the stems of rushes are round, while those of sedges are triangular and so have edges. It's often easy to think of all slender, green, 'grasslike' plants as grasses, but sedges and rushes are distinct from this group and have their own physical characteristics. The rushes, Juncaceae, resemble grasses and sedges visually but uniquely have a 6-parted perianth (perianth = floral organs where petals and sepals are not distinguished). Grasses and sedge are versatile ornamental plants used landscapes, and vary in sun preferences, sizes, colors, textures, and habits from low clump forming to strongly upright. Grasses, sedges, and rushes are all vascular plants--they have specialized tissues that conduct water and minerals (via xylem) and food (via phloem) and also produce flowers and fruit--but within the plant world they are relatively primitive and are classified as monocotyledons. While more diminutive than many grasses, sedges provide support to a variety of animals. They are all flowering plants. Because Grasses, Sedges and Rushes are very similar to each other in some respects, it may be useful to point out their similarities and differences. Broadleaf weed identification “Broadleaf” weeds vary a great deal and are a very large group, however they essentially all include a broad leaf. Grasses. Lawn Addicts can supply a variety of broadleaf weed herbicides to suit different grass types. Grass weed identification. 2. Sedges are primarily perennials, and are mostly evergreen, cool-season, shade-loving plants. Here are some of the interesting facts I took away from my research. Sedges vs. Grasses vs. Using native grasses and sedges in the landscape offers an array of important ecosystem benefits and can greatly improve the wildlife diversity in your garden. They provide great texture, a rainbow of color, and variety in height to any garden or landscape while also holding the topsoil to prevent erosion. Also consider using an ornamental grass in your container garden! Please note that these are rough guidelines and may speak generically to our broad client mix. © Steve D. Eggers. Grasses grow both vegetative and floral stems, and many of their wind-pollinated flowers are showy. Greater pond sedge. 2. In general they are tough and wiry. Grasses and sedges are monocotyledon nonwoody plants belonging to order Graminales. Flowers are not showy and veins in the leaves are parallel. Matthew Roberts. Because Grasses, Sedges and Rushes are very similar to each other in some respects, it may be useful to point out their similarities and differences. Examples of grass-like plants are rushes and sedges. Grasses, grass-likes, forbs, shrubs, rushes, sedges, leaf veins, fibrous, hollow, jointed, parallel, taproot, bulbous Arts Content Standard 2: Students apply and describe the concepts, structures, and processes in the Arts. Plants are divided into two major classes, monocotyledon and dicotyledon. June 6th, 2017 |THE LATEST. Sedges are clump-forming, and they spread laterally via rhizomes that are also useful in erosion control. Grasses, sedges and rushes all belong to the Subclass Monocotyledons. They generally prefer moist to wet environments. Of the 10,000 grass species, about 40 are commonly used as forage. Sweetgrass (Anthoxanthum hirtum) "Sedges have edges; rushes are round; grasses are hollow right up from the ground." If your yard is sunny, three low-growing natives can be used to create a ground cover or provide an accent in your garden: Fox Sedge, Little Bluestem, and Autumn Bentgrass. Grasses have leaves in two rows, their stems are hollow, with nodes wider than the stem. In addition to writers & photographers credited through bylines (Mary Free, Judy Funderburk, Elaine Mills, Christa Watters & Susan Wilhelm), Grass leaves are alternately arranged while sedge leaves are spirally arranged. Scattered vascular bundles (conducting tissue within the stems). The classroom training stresses differences between families, tribes and major genera in Central Florida based on classification and morphological features. Grasses, Sedges, Rushes, & Non-flowering Plants in Illinois Return to the Home Page Click on the links below for information about individual plant species: Adiantum pedatum (Maidenhair Fern) Agrostis gigantea (Redtop) Agrostis hyemalis (Tickle Grass) Agrostis perennans (Upland Bent) Alopecurus aequalis (Short-awned Foxtail) Alopecurus carolinianus (Annual Foxtail) Alopecurus … Ornamental grass varieties are incredibly popular and important landscape decorations in the ladscape. They look like grasses and sedges, but are different. Wavy hair-grass… Sedge stems are solid, and unlike grasses, they don’t have nodes or joints. Most grasses are edible and they include oats, corn, and Fescue for livestock, to just name a few. Plants are divided into two major classes, monocotyledon and dicotyledon. This means they all have their seeds enclosed in ovaries, which are surrounded by bracts (modified leaves, associated with flowers). The 'knees' of grasses are joint-like nodes found along round, hollow stems. Common spike-rush. Grasses and sedges Grasses and sedges are in different botanical families, but because of their similar appearance they are collectively known as graminoids (plants with a grass-like appearance). Pink Muhly Grass, River Oats, Prairie Dropseed and a number of grasses and sedges create habitat for travelling butterflies and other pollinators, as shown here in a Hoffman Nursery buffer zone. But if you look a little closer, you’ll find that the major difference between grasses and sedges is that sedges have three-sided or triangular stems. As with grasses, the seed heads of sedges are usually produced at the end of a sing… Some sedges and woodrushes will also thrive in fairly deep shade. 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