Carex dispalata ("Kasasuge")

Japanese name: カサスゲ （笠菅）
Scientific name: Carex dispalata

[Overview]
A perennial 50–100 cm tall, growing in wet ground such as ponds, rivers and marshes.
It sends long stolons underground and forms colonies.
The base of the stem has purplish brown sheaths.
The leaves are flat and linear, 0.4–0.8 cm wide, and tough.
Spikelets are borne at the stem tip; the terminal spikelet is male, 4–7 cm long, while the 3–6 lateral spikelets are female and cylindrical, 3–10 cm long.
The perigynia are 0.3–0.4 cm long, and the upper end forms a beak.
The perigynia lose their gloss when dry.

[Uses]
It was used as a material for sugegasa (sedge hats) and mino (straw raincoats).

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by division.
The seeds need light to germinate, so cover them with only a very thin layer of soil.
It prefers a sunny site with soil that retains water well.
For plants in the ground, avoid places exposed to strong afternoon sun or prone to drying.
Because it spreads by underground stems, to prevent it from spreading too much, make a frame underground or plant it in a large pot and bury the pot.
In a suitable site, rainfall is sufficient.
If fertilizer is applied at planting, no further fertilizing is particularly necessary.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

[Notes]
The Japanese name derives from its use as a material for sugegasa.

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