Sedges
The sedge family is one of the largest grass-like plant groups in the world and includes the caric sedges (Carex spp.), bulrushes (Scirpus spp.), spikerushes (Eleocharis spp.), nutgrasses or flat sedges (Cyperus), and several other types of sedges or rushes. The largest genera, Carex contains well over 1,000 species worldwide (over 500 species in the United States). Most of these plants are perennials and are found in damp meadows, swamps, and fresh, brackish, and salt water marshes. They have leafy stems that range in size from a few inches to over five feet high.