Green Bulrush vs Beaked Sedge - TreeTime.ca

Green Bulrush vs Beaked Sedge

Scirpus pallidus

Carex utriculata

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Green Bulrush
Beaked Sedge

Green Bulrush is a common waterside plant, suitable for erosion control and land reclamation. Despite this, Green Bulrush is very drought resistant once established. Bulrushes can cool nearby areas on hot days.

Unlike many of the other waterside plants available, Green Bulrush does not attract wildlife. This makes it a good choice for surrounding residential water sources.

Green Bulrush is topped with spiky balls of florets, green in the spring and fading to brown in the fall.

Beaked Sedge is a native perennial wetland plant that forms dense clumps of tall, grass-like stems. It produces distinctive beaked seed heads that mature from late spring into summer. The plant provides food for waterfowl, muskrats, and other wildlife, while its dense growth offers cover for birds and small mammals. Its flowers and seed structures contribute to pollinator and invertebrate habitat in aquatic ecosystems.

Thriving in saturated soils and shallow water, Beaked Sedge is common in marshes, fens, and riparian zones. Its rhizomatous growth enables it to spread into large colonies that stabilize soils and support overall wetland health. Hardy and low-maintenance once established, it is well-suited to riparian plantings, naturalization, and ecological restoration projects.

Green Bulrush Quick Facts

Beaked Sedge Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 1b
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: medium


Foliage: long thin whitish green
Flowers: green spiked clusters
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: cloaked bulrush, pale bulrush, pale-green bulrush
Other Names: bladder sedge, bottle shaped sedge, common beaked sedge, northern beaked sedge, northwest territory sedge