Wheat Sedge vs Slender Wheatgrass - TreeTime.ca

Wheat Sedge vs Slender Wheatgrass

Elymus trachycaulus

Carex atherodes

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Slender Wheatgrass
Wheat Sedge

Slender Wheatgrass is a native perennial bunchgrass common across North America. It establishes quickly, making it effective for site recovery.

It produces upright seed heads that provide seasonal interest and seed for wildlife, and favoured for browsing by elk and sheep. Its seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals, and it provides cover for wildlife.

Slender Wheatgrass is among the first native grasses used for reclamation in western Canada and the U.S. It does exceptionally well in saline soils.

Wheat Sedge is a native perennial sedge commonly found in wetlands, ditches, and along shorelines. It thrives in saturated soils, spreading by rhizomes to form large colonies that stabilize both soils and shorelines. This makes it valuable for wetland and riparian plantings.

Its distinctive, wheat-like seed spikes add seasonal character while providing food for waterfowl, and its dense clumps supply cover and nesting habitat for birds and small animals. Together, these traits make Wheat Sedge an important species for enhancing biodiversity and supporting healthy wetland ecosystems.

Slender Wheatgrass Quick Facts

Wheat Sedge Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Height: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Growth form: upright, colony-forming
Spreading: tillering - high, seeds - medium
Spreading: rhizomes - high, seeds - low


Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, YT, NT
Other Names: slender wildrye, western wheatgrass
Other Names: awned sedge, hairy leaved lake sedge, slough sedge