SafePlants

Round Fruit Sedge and Related Plants

Considerations for Pets

• Several sedge species bear fruit in the form of nuts, which could present a choking hazard, especially for smaller animals.
• Some sedges have edges which can be sharp.

Considerations for Children

• Several sedge species bear fruit in the form of nuts, which could present a choking hazard, especially for young children.
• Some sedges have edges which can be sharp.

Common and Scientific Names

• Scientific Name: Carex globosa Boott
• Common Names: Round Fruit Sedge, Round-fruit Sedge, Roundfruit Sedge, Round Sedge

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Genus: Carex
• Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
• Carex deweyana is also called Round-fruited Short-scaled Sedge and Dewey's Sedge. It gets its specific name (deweyana) from Chester Dewey (1784-1867).

Distribution and Habitat

• Carex globosa is native to northern, southern, and central California.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• "Sedges have edges, rushes are round and grasses are hollow right up from the ground." This saying helps differentiate between these plant types.
• Round Fruit Sedge produces flowers in spikes.
• The fruit is a single-seeded nut.
• Carex species generally have stems that are three-angled, though some may be round.
• Carex panicea has stems with rounded angles.

Quirky Facts

• One source refers to a sedge whose 'three styles' are "the fuzzy pale cream things protruding".