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Carex arenaria

German-sarsaparilla · Sand Sedge

Family CyperaceaeGenus Carex

Stiff sedge stems with brown spiky seed heads rising out of bare white dune sand
The whole plantChristian FischerCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
perennial or rhizomatous geophytePlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, GraminoidPLANTS Database
Native range
Baltic States, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • As arenaria, Latin for "sandy", suggests, sand sedge grows in dunes and other sandy places, spreading by long runners under the surface. Wikipedia: Carex arenaria

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 1, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 35 days to germinate.

100% germination in 7–35 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Carex p. 28Public domain
Show the original text
Carex (Cyperaceae). C. arenaria germ. 70L(100% in 1-5 w) and 70D(none). After 2 y DS there was a little germination in 70D(9% in 2-4 w) with germination in 70L still 100%.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Carex p. 28. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 9, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 8, 2025.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 730 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 2 years from start to sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.

9% germination in 14–28 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Carex p. 28Public domain
Show the original text
Carex (Cyperaceae). C. arenaria germ. 70L(100% in 1-5 w) and 70D(none). After 2 y DS there was a little germination in 70D(9% in 2-4 w) with germination in 70L still 100%.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Carex p. 28. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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