FLORA OF ICELAND elements: Carex lyngbyei, Lyngbye's Sedge

Carex lyngbyei; the Lyngbye's Sedge is one of the larger sedges on Iceland. It can grow to more than a meter high. There is only one other common sedge on Iceland that compares in height, being the Bottle sedge (Carex rostrata). They are easily differentiated: Lynbye's sedge has drooping female spikes whereas the Bottle sedge has stiff upright spikes. Both species grow abundantly in lakes, ponds and marshes. They also grow along the dryer margins of lakes; there, however, they are less tall. The Lyngbye's sedge grows in lowland regions. Carex lyngbyei is an American species, naturally growing on Iceland but missing in mainland Europe.
It is a member of the Sedge family (Cyperaceae).

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A brief introduction to common Iceland plants
Text & Photographs by Dick Vuijk
- unless stated otherwise
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Click on thumbnails or latin names to get information on the species.

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View on an individual Lyngbye's Sedge culm
Focus on a female spike
Reload first photo of the Lyngbye's sedge in a sedge vegetation (like common sedge C. nigra) in the background