About Carex cespitosa L.
Carex cespitosa, commonly known as tuft carex, is a perennial sedge species belonging to the genus Carex. As its Latin specific epithet cespitosa indicates, this species grows in dense tufts, a growth habit called caespitose. Carex cespitosa has a taxonomic synonym: Carex cespitosa f. retorta. This species can hybridize with the common sedge, Carex nigra, producing hybrid plants that reach 20 to 50 centimeters (8 to 20 inches) in height and flower between May and June. Carex cespitosa occurs throughout all of Scandinavia, where its abundance ranges from common to rare. It is also found in central Europe, becoming rare moving westward and toward the Mediterranean. It also grows in isolated locations across Great Britain and the Iberian Peninsula. This sedge often occurs in a mixed mosaic with other Carex species, but it can also become nearly completely dominant in an area. It grows in very moist soil conditions.
