''Carex riparia'', the greater pond sedge, is a species of

sedge The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

found across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. It grows in a variety of wet

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s, and can be a dominant species in some

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s. It is Britain's largest ''Carex'', growing up to tall, with glaucous leaves up to long. It hybridises with a number of other ''Carex'' species, including the closely related ''

Carex acutiformis ''Carex acutiformis'', the lesser pond-sedge, is a species of plant in the ''Carex'', or sedge family. Description Carex acutiformis is a tuft-forming, rhizomatous plant growing up to tall. Stems are slender and three angled. Leaves are narrow, ...

'' – the lesser pond sedge. A

variegated '' Cryptocarya williwilliana'' showing leaf venation and variegated leaves Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the foliage, flowers, and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants, granting a speckled, striped, or patch ...

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

is grown as an

ornamental grass Ornamental grasses are grasses grown as ornamental plants. Ornamental grasses are popular in many colder hardiness zones for their resilience to cold temperatures and aesthetic value throughout fall and winter seasons. Classifications Along ...

Distribution and habitat

''Carex riparia'' has a broad

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

over

and

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

, with isolated occurrences in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. It can form large stands along slow-flowing rivers, canals, on the edges of lakes, and in wet woodland. It may be the dominant species in

s, especially if there is

standing water Water stagnation occurs when water stops Environmental flow, flowing for a long period of time. Stagnant water can be a significant environmental hazard. Dangers Malaria and dengue are among the main dangers of still water, which can become ...

in spring, and is also found in tall-herb fens, alongside ''

'', ''

Carex acuta ''Carex acuta'' (common names acute sedge, slender tufted-sedge, or slim sedge) is a perennial, tussock-forming plant in the ''Carex'', or sedge family. Description ''Carex acuta'' is a tuft-forming, slender, rhizomatous plant with narrow, fl ...

'' and other similar species.

Description

''Carex riparia'' was first described by

William Curtis William Curtis (11 January 1746 – 7 July 1799) was an English botanist and entomologist, who was born at Alton, Hampshire, site of the Curtis Museum. Curtis began as an apothecary, before turning his attention to botany and other natural ...

in his 1783 work '' Flora Londinensis''. It is easily confused with ''

'', the lesser pond sedge, but can be told apart by its greater number of male

spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (Broderick book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter ...

s, which grow close together at the top of the culm. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

of ''C. riparia'' are up to long by wide,

glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), ...

, and narrowing at the tip to a trigonous point. The stems are tall, rough, and sharply triangular in section, making ''C. riparia'' Britain's largest species of ''Carex''. They bear 1–5 female spikes, each nearly cylindrical and generally overlapping with the next, and 3–6 more densely arranged male spikes. Each female spike is long, often with some male flowers at the tip, while male spikes are long. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

s of ''C. riparia'' are utricles, long, with an inflated ovoid shape. They taper to a distinct, bifid beak, which bears three stigmas. ''Carex riparia'' is known to hybridise with a number of other sedge species, including ''Carex acutiformis'' (forming ''Carex × sooi''), '' C. lasiocarpa'' (forming ''C. × evoluta''), '' C. rostrata'' (forming ''C. × beckmanniana''), '' C. vesicaria'' (forming ''C. × csomadensis''), '' C. elata'' and '' C. flacca''.

Horticulture

''Carex riparia'', particularly the

'Variegata', is used as an

in gardens with wet soils.

Notes

References

External links

''Carex riparia''
on the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

's ''Plant Selector''
''Carex riparia'', greater pond sedge

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

'' Gardener's World'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q161125

riparia ''Riparia'' is a genus of passerine birds in the swallow family Hirundinidae. These are small or medium-sized swallows, ranging from in length. They are brown above and mainly white below, and all have a dark breast band. They are closely ass ...

Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Plants described in 1783 Grasses of Lebanon