The Common Club-rush in the Sedge family and all their uses!

The Common Club-rush where we harvested a few days before!

Today I am inspired to write about the members of the large Sedge and Rush family or Cyperaceae. I recently helped my friend Sally harvesting many stems of the Common Club-rush or Schoenoplectus lacustris in order for her to make many beautiful items after they have dried in about 6 weeks time!

This is an important native plant which can be used to weave mats, baskets or any other implements as you can find out more on the next page and it even got edible and medicinal uses!

It is one of those plants which could feature in a real Ethnobotanical Garden instead of this virtual one to demonstrate all its uses it had in the past but could certainly be again in the future! Below some of the pictures taken by my friend on our recent adventure harvesting the Common Club-rush.

Most information is from specialist websites for which I provide the links for you to find more information and pictures of the plants. I use colour coding for easy reading! Blue background is general interesting info (although I hope you find it all interesting!!). Green is about all the uses except for medicinal uses or if there is a warning in which case I use a pink background. Pictures by Matt Summers or Mike Poulton unless stated.

Please use Jump-links in the Contents to easily find the different members of this large family!

Contents of Cyperaceae

Eriophorum or Cottongrasses
Trichophorum or Deergrasses
Bolboschoenus maritimus or Sea Club-rush
Scirpus sylvaticus or Wood Club-rush

Schoenoplectus or Club-rushes

Schoenoplectus lacustris or Common Club-rush
S. tabernaemontani or Grey Club-rush
S. triqueter or Triangular Club-rush
S. pungens or Sharp Club-Rush

Eleocharis or Spike-rushes

Scirpoides holoschoenus or Round-headed Club-rush

Isolepis or Club-rushes

Eleogiton fluitans or Floating Club-rush

Cyperus or Galingales

C. longus or Galingale
C. fuscus or Brown Galingale
C. eragrostis or Pale Galingale
C. esculentus or Tiger Nut

Blysmus or Flat-sedges

Schoenus or Bog-rushes

Cladium mariscus or Great Fen-sedge

Rhynchospora or Beak-sedges

R. alba or White Beak-sedge
R. fusca or Brown Beak-sedge

Carex or Sedges

C. paniculata or Greater Tussock-sedge
C. arenaria or Sand Sedge
C. riparia or Great Pond Sedge
C. canescens or White Sedge
C. disticha or Brown Sedge
C. ovalis or Oval Sedge
C. remota or Remote Sedge
C. echinata or Star Sedge
C. hirta or Hairy Sedge
C. sylvatica or Wood Sedge
C. flacca or Glaucous Sedge
C. caryophllea or Spring Sedge
C. pilulifera or Pill Sedge
C. nigra or Common Sedge
C. pendula or Pendulous Sedge
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