Carex rostrata aka Beaked Sedge

Carex rostrata, or bottle sedge, belongs to the sedge family, Cyperaceae. It is native to much of Europe, including Britain and Ireland. Its range also reaches across Asia and into North America. Records include parts of Siberia, China, Canada, and Alaska. The RHS also lists Carex ampullacea as a synonym. This is a perennial plant, so it lives for several years.

The plant grows to about 3.3 feet [1 metre] tall. It flowers from June to July. Each plant bears both male and female flowers. The flowers are separate, rather than combining both sexes in one flower. Wind carries the pollen between flowers. Seeds ripen from July to August, after the flowering season. The seeds are small, which makes them awkward to collect for food.

In the wild, this sedge grows in wet, peaty ground. It favours places where the water table stays high. In gardens, it suits bog beds and other damp sites. It grows in sand, loam, or clay. It also accepts mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline soil. Full sun and light shade both suit it. Keep the soil moist or wet to match its needs. Plants For A Future describes it as easy to grow under these conditions.

Raise new plants from seed or divide established clumps in spring. Sow seed outdoors in moist soil with light shade. A cold frame offers another way to start a small seed supply. Germination takes about two to six weeks at 15°C. Move these young plants into the garden in summer. Large divisions can go straight into their final sites. Pot up small divisions and keep them in a cold frame. Give them time to root before planting them outside. They can go out in summer or the next spring.

Plants For A Future lists cooked roots and seeds as edible. It gives the plant a low food-use rating. The same source records no known hazards, but this is not proof of safety. It lists no known medicinal use. The straw has a recorded use as bedding. Its garden value centres on planting in wet ground and bog gardens.