Midstorey

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Variable sword-sedge Lepidosperma laterale

When it flowers

Saw Sedge growing in a Coachwood Rainforest, Chatswood West, Australia. Identified by a professional Bush Regenerator as Lepidosperma laterale.
Saw Sedge growing in a Coachwood Rainforest, Chatswood West, Australia. Identified by a professional Bush Regenerator as Lepidosperma laterale.. Photo: Poyt448 Peter Woodard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Variable Sword-sedge, Lepidosperma laterale. Blue Mountains National Park, Blackheath NSW Australia, June 2012.
Variable Sword-sedge, Lepidosperma laterale. Blue Mountains National Park, Blackheath NSW Australia, June 2012.. Photo: John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Variable Sword-sedge, Lepidosperma laterale. Blue Mountains National Park, Blackheath NSW Australia, June 2012.
Variable Sword-sedge, Lepidosperma laterale. Blue Mountains National Park, Blackheath NSW Australia, June 2012.. Photo: John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Tough, flat-leaved sedge that grows in dry shade under trees.

A clumping sedge with stiff, flat, sword-like leaves, common in dry forest of eastern Australia. One of the few strappy plants that copes with dry shade and root competition under eucalypts.

In the garden

  • Mass planting
  • Banks and slopes
  • Under trees
Flowers
Small brown flower clusters on the side of flattened stems.
Leaves
Stiff, flat, dark green to grey-green sword-like leaves.
Attracts
Butterflies and shelter for small wildlife

Growing conditions

Climate
Subtropical and temperate
Light
Full sun to full shade
Soil
Sandy, loam and clay
Drainage
Needs good drainage
Frost
Moderate frost
Water
Very drought tolerant

Planting and care

Grown from
Seed and division

Planting

Part shade to shade, including dry ground under trees. Space 50 cm apart.

Pruning

Pull out old or dead leaves by hand. Don't cut the whole clump to the ground.

Care

Water in dry spells through the first summer; very tough after that. No feeding needed.

Where it comes from

Family
Cyperaceae
Order
Poales
Native to
ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria
Natural range
Dry forest and woodland of eastern Australia, from Queensland to Tasmania and South Australia.

Where to buy

Specialist native nurseries.

We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.

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