Downy-fruited Sedge in flower

One of Hartslock’s less well known, but still very important residents is the Downy-fruited Sedge (Carex tomentosa).

It has only been recorded in a handful of UK sites and so we are very lucky to have any at all. Even on Hartslock it is rare and restricted to a  very tiny corner of the main orchid slope, which we protect each year because it would be very vulnerable to trampling of visitors.

The stems are very difficult to find unless you have your eye in and know exactly where to look and it is easy to mistake the tiny heads for those of Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca), which is found all over the slope. If you look very closely at the flower you will see that the tiny fruits have a covering of tiny hairs that look a little like velvet – it is this that gives the sedge its common name. Later in the season these fruits will darken but the velvet covering will remain.