Woolly Sedge (Carex pellita)
KARE-ex pellita

Deciduous Perennial Spreading, Colony-Forming in the Cyperaceae Family
Short spikelets are bristly, grainy in appearance.

Carex pellita, commonly called Woolly Sedge, is a native North American sedge found in wet prairies, sedge meadows, swamps, and floodplain woodlands, including much of Illinois. Growing 1-2.5 feet tall, it features narrow, silvery-green leaf blades covered in a soft, woolly texture, with individual plants typically solitary rather than clumped, spreading via long rhizomes to form colonies.

Its flowers appear as light green to yellowish-green pistillate spikelets alongside brown staminate spikelets, which darken further after pollen is released. Woolly Sedge prefers consistently wet to moist soil and tolerates a range of soil types, from loam to gravel.

Pros

  • Thrives in consistently wet to moist soil, including poorly-drained sites
  • Illinois native that supports butterflies, moths, and wetland birds
  • Tolerates a range of soil types
  • Spreads to form colonies, useful for erosion control in wet areas

Cons

  • Does not tolerate dry soil
  • Flowers are inconspicuous, offering little ornamental color
  • Spreads by rhizomes and can colonize beyond its original planting area
Why Like In the wild, Woolly Sedge grows across wet and moist prairies, sedge meadows, and floodplain woodlands throughout Illinois, where it supports caterpillars of the Eyed Brown butterfly and other insects, and its seeds and foliage feed waterfowl, wetland birds, and other wildlife.
Highlights Illinois native wetland sedge with soft, woolly, silvery-green foliage; thrives in consistently wet to moist soil; supports butterflies, moths, and wetland birds; spreads via rhizomes to form colonies.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 18 - 24 inches tall. 12 - 18 inches wide.
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium - Wet
Zones 4a - 8b (Usually hardy to -30° F)
Tags Attracts Butterflies, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Full Sun, Grasses, Illinois Native, Medium, Native to North America, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Wet, Wet Site Tolerant
Bloom Period April to June
Flower Color Green, maturing to Brown
Foliage Color
 

Plant Club Content

Commonly Planted with...

Pairs well with other wetland and prairie natives such as Iris versicolor (Blue Flag Iris), Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed), and other wet-meadow Carex species.
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 05/18 - 10/04
2024 : 05/01 - 10/05
2023 : 07/19 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!