New Guide to Identify Sedges is Now Available

Important Plants Becoming Increasingly Popular

LISLE, IL (February 20, 2008) – What the sedge is that?

Now, you can more easily identify sedges - the grass-like plants that are becoming increasingly popular with landscapers and home gardeners – in Field Guide To Wisconsin Sedges, a new book by Dr. Andrew Hipp, Morton Arboretum Plant Systematist and Herbarium Curator. The book has just arrived at The Morton Arboretum Store.

“People want to grow sedges in their home gardens. Approximately a third of the Carex species of the upper Midwest are available as seed or plants from commercial native plant nurseries,” Hipp says.  “With this book, a naturalist in the Chicago area can identify 95% or more of the common Carex sedges they run across.”

Sedges are arguably the most ecologically important group of plants in wetlands across North America, Hipp says.

“They build soils, feed animals, carry fire through woodlands, increase wetland biodiversity, and some are keystone species in wetlands, meaning that if you lose those species, the structure and function of the whole system are damaged,” he says.

Learning to identify sedges is challenging, and the available technical guides to the sedge family can be overwhelming to those who are not specialists. Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges is a beautifully-illustrated introduction to the largest sedge genus, Carex, which alone makes up about 7 percent of the flora of the upper Midwest.

Written primarily for naturalists, wild plant enthusiasts, and native landscapers, this book is unique in its accessible format and illustrations. Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges includes information on habitat and range drawn from Hipp’s extensive field experience and inspection of thousands of herbarium sheets. Primarily an identification guide, the book is also a valuable source of habitat information for landscapers, gardeners, and restorationists.

The book includes:

• Keys to all Wisconsin Carex species, arranged by section
• Distribution maps for all species
• Species descriptions and detailed habitat information for more than 50 common species
• Color illustrations of whole plants or details for more than 70 species
• Appendix summarizing dominant Carex species by Wisconsin habitat
• A glossary of terms

The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized 1,700-acre outdoor museum with collections of 4,134 kinds of trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world. The Arboretum's beautiful natural landscapes, gardens, research and education programs, and year-round family activities support its mission – the planting and conservation of trees and other plants for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. Conveniently located at I-88 and Rte. 53 in Lisle, Illinois, the Arboretum is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time or sunset, whichever is earlier. The Children's Garden is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., March through October, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., November through February. Visit www.mortonarb.org or call 630-968-0074 to learn more.

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