Carex montana Soft-leaved Sedge

A long-lived, clump-forming sedge of rough, limestone grasslands with far-creeping rhizomes. When not in flower it can be easily mistaken for a grass, but is very distinctive in flower and fruit with its blackish glumes and utricles. It has a disjunct distribution in Britain scattered across southern and south western Britain, including a cluster of habitats in south and mid Wales. It is a rare and declining species in south Wales and is very rare in West Glamorgan with some scattered sites in Gower, e.g. Pengwern Common and a few in the uplands of Neath Port Talbot, e.g. Rhydyfro, near Pontardawe.

Native