Carex x ludibunda Hybrid Sedge RRR D N
This hybrid arises from a cross between Carex canescens (old name: Carex curta) White Sedge and Carex paniculata (Greater Tussock Sedge). Carex canescens usually attains a height of between 10cm and 30cm maximum but Carex paniculata can be as tall as 1.5m, so this is the doggy equivalent of crossing a Chihuahua with an Afghan Wolfhound. The hybrid is only as tall as Carex canescens but has a tufted appearance and the flowering stems emerge laterally from the tuft as they do in Carex paniculata but otherwise you'd be hard put to guess the parentage.
Distribution maps tell us that both parents are present in this North Wales region but they are not obvious in the immediate vicinity so how it got here is a puzzle - we usually blame birds when this happens. Although Carex canescens and Carex paniculata are reasonably common sedges, the hybrid is very rare indeed with only two other current sites mentioned in the Sedges of the British Isles BSBI handbook, two of whose authors identified this plant.
STOP PRESS: July 2015 It is possible that this hybrid sedge is not even a hybrid - further identification measures are being taken at present.
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| Carex x ludibunda Hybrid Sedge |
Pensarn Beach, Abergele, 18th May 2012
Added on 20th May 2012