Sedge is one of a large family of grasslike plants that grow in wet places throughout the world. Sedges thrive in marshes, swamps, shallow water, and meadows. Like grasses, they have long, narrow leaves. But sedges usually have triangular or round, solid stems. Grasses have round, hollow stems. Sedges have three rows of leaves, but grasses have only two.
The sheath (covering) at the base of each sedge leaf is closed around the stem. In grasses, the side of the sheath opposite the leaf blade is split and overlaps.
Sedges have tiny green flowers on small spikes called spikelets. These flowers have no petals, but they have small bristles. Sedges also bear small fruits called nutlets. The ancient Egyptians made a writing material from a type of sedge called papyrus (see Papyrus ). Today, farmers sometimes cut sedge for hay.
