Grasses, Sedges & Rushes

Throw up your hands in horror! Grasses and grass-like plants instil a feeling of terror in many people, but in reality many of them are not that difficult to identify. Part of the problem is unfamiliarity, coupled with the fact that there are an awful lot of inadequate books on the subject. This section by no means covers all the species in Cape May county as yet, but will be added to as new photos are taken. For now at least, you will find pretty much all the common species, including the introduced, European species that abound here.

Under the catch-all title of grass-like plants, you will find all the sedges, rushes and other related plants which, by and large, tend to occur in wetland habitats.

Unlike the other sections that start with flower color, this group starts with the overall impression of the flowering spike. Inevitably, some species are hard to categorize and the section labelled as 'spikey plants' is something of an odd-ball collection of species that don't fit anywhere else. If in doubt, try several sections and gradually narrow down your search. Note that some grass species, most notably bamboos, flower rarely so you might try the 'no flowers' section below.

If you still can't find your plant, you either have something very interesting that you may wish to tell us about, or we just haven't got a picture of it yet - we're still working on the latter!!

Click on the pictures below to go to the species pages.

No Flowers
Golden Bamboo Bulbous Meadow-grass Japanese Stilt-grass
bamboos

Bulbous
Meadow-grass

Japanese
Stilt-grass

Six Petals
Heath Wood-rush
Heath Wood-rush

Flowers in short, terminal cluster
Needle Spikerush Ovate Spikerush
spikerushes

spikerushes

Flowers in tight heads of tight clusters
Hairy Umbrella-sedge American Bulrush Common Rush Tawny Cotton-grass
umbrella-sedges

bulrushes

rushes

cotton-grasses

Rough Dog's-tail Annual Beard-grass Asiatic Spike-sedge
Rough
Dog's-tail

Annual
Beard-grass

spike-sedges

Marsh Spike-grass Sweet Vernal-grass Black-edged Sedge Blunt Broom Sedge
Marsh
Spike-grass

Sweet
Vernal-grass

sedges

sedges

Flowers in spikey clusters
Straw-colored Flat-sedge Small Bur-grass Greater Bladder Sedge Sedge Howe's Sedge
flat-sedges

bur-grasses

sedges

sedges

Indian Wire-grass Forked Beard-grass Fringed Sedge Trifid Flat-sedge
finger-grasses

Forked
Beard-grass

sedges

Trifid Flat-sedge

Perennial Rye-grass Slender Spike-grass Bulbous Meadow-grass Virginia Beard-grass
rye-grasses

Slender
Spike-grass

Bulbous
Meadow-grass

beard-grasses

Prairie Threeawn Silky Oat-grass Common Couch Slender Squirrel-tail Fescue
threeawns

oat-grasses

Common Couch

squirrel-tail
fescues

Whip Nut-rush
nut-rushes

Flowers in open heads of tight clusters
Scirpus-like Rush Wool-grass Brownish Beak-sedge Grass-leaved Rush
rushes

Wool-grass

beak-sedges

rushes

Rice Cut-grass Strong-scented Love-grass Yorkshire-fog Annual Meadow-grass
Annual Cut-grass

love-grasses

Yorkshire-fog

meadow-grasses

Reflexed Saltmarsh-grass-grass Great Brome Smooth Brome Soft Brome
Reflexed
Saltmarsh-grass

bromes

bromes

bromes

Cock's-foot Saltmarsh Cockspur-grass Great Millet Bristly Sedge
Cock's-foot

cockspur-grasses

Great Millet

sedges

Swan's Sedge Salt-meadow Cord-grass Soft-stemmed Bulrush Globe Flat-sedge
sedges

cord-grasses

bulrushes

Globe
Flat-sedge

Black Spear-grass Spiked Oat-grass Red Fescue
Black
Spear-grass

woodland grasses

fescues

Flowers in loose, open heads
Annual Wild-rice Weeping Love-grass Northern Sweet-grass Switch-grass
Annual Wild-rice

Weeping Love-grass

Northern
Sweet-grass

Switch-grass

Common Reed Johnson-grass Chinese Silver-grass Purpletop
feathergrasses

feathergrasses

feathergrasses

Purpletop

Silver Hair-grass Wild-oat Diffuse Crab-grass Purple Love-grass
Silver
Hair-grass

Wild-oat

Diffuse Crab-grass

Purple Lovegrass

Soft Rush Wavy Hair-grass Bitter Panic-grass
rushes

Wavy
Hair-grass

panic-grasses

Wavy Hair-grass Creeping Bent
Wavy
Hair-grass

bents

Narrow spikes of dense flowers
Cattails Green Bristle-grass Nodding Bristle-grass Cereal Rye
cattails

bristle-grasses

Nodding
Bristle-grass

barleys

Salt-meadow Cord-grass American Beach-grass Yorkshire-fog Hard Fescue
cord-grasses

American
Beach-grass

Yorkshire-fog

fescues

Nimble-will Rat's-tail Fescue Timothy Awl-fruited Sedge
Nimble-will

Rat's-tail Fescue

Timothy

sedges

Upright Sedge Blunt Manna-grass Wrinkled Joint-grass Prairie Wedgescale
sedges

swampgrasses

Wrinkled
Joint-grass

Prairie Wedgescale

Smut-grass Manilagrass
Smut-grass

Manilagrass