Carex lyngbyei; Lyngbyei's
sedge
Range
Climate, elevation
Regularly
flooded and drained coastal sedge areas; Optimum elevation is MLHW to MHHW; May
be competitively dominant in the high marsh because its greater biomass and
height make it a superior competitor for light.
Local occurrence (where, how common)
Most
common shoreline sedge in PNW
Habitat preferences
Coastal salt marshes, brackish marshes; Salinity 0-20 ppt.;
Best when planted in fine-grained sand to silt, but does well on cobble and
gravel beaches.
Plant strategy type/successional stage (stress-tolerator,
competitor, weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)
Pioneer colonizer of tidal mudflats; dense, nearly pure
stands.
Associated species
Eleocharis
kamtschatica, E. palustris, Iris setosa, Juncus balticus, Potentilla
May be collected as:
(seed, layered, divisions, etc.)
Division (optimal method). Also, seeds and rhizome
cuttings.
Collection restrictions or guidelines
Flowers April-July.
Do not
transplant in soils with higher salinity than that of donor site.
Seed germination (needs dormancy breaking?)
Germination
only occurred in low-salinity conditions following after-ripening. Germination
time varies with salinity.
Seed life (can be stored, short shelf-life, long shelf-life)
No
information found.
Recommended seed storage conditions
No
information found.
Propagation recommendations (plant seeds, vegetative parts,
cuttings, etc.)
Planting bare rootstock is the most successful means of
propagating these plants. Young plants are the best transplanting
candidates. Plant on overcast days to minimize
desiccation. Can
be grown from seed, either planted directly or grown in pots and transplanted.
However, neither of these methods is recommended. Rising water levels and heavy rains often
wash seeds away. Plants grown from seed in pots tend to remain small and
stunted for extended periods of time and are difficult to establish.
Soil or medium
requirements (inoculum necessary?)
No
requirements, but responds well to fertilizer.
Installation form (form, potential for successful outcomes,
cost)
Large
plugs may be better able to survive predation from geese than transplanted sprigs.
Recommended planting density
3
stems per hole on 0.5m (20”) centers.
Care requirements after installed (water weekly, water once
etc.)
Plants are best planted in the fall when the rains begin. This will enable them to spend the dormant season developing a healthy root system to sustain them through the summer dry season.
Normal rate of growth or spread; lifespan
Mature
size to 0.75m (30”). Will
spread to become montypic species.
Sources cited
Bradfield,
G.E. and G.L. Porter. 1982. Vegetation
Structure and Diversity Components of a Fraser Estuary Tidal Marsh. Canadian Journal of Botany Vol 60, No 4, p
440-451.
Pidwirny, M.
J. 1990. Plant zonation in a brackish tidal marsh descriptive
verification of resource-based competition and community structure. Canadian-Journal-of-Botany.
68 (8): 1689-1697.
Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon. 1994. Plants of the
Stevens, M. and R. Vanbianchi. 1993. Restoring
Wetlands in
Ternyik, W.E.
1980. Salt Marsh Creation in the
http://www.nwplants.com/plants/wetlands/cyperaceae/
Data compiled by Mike Cooksey;