Which sedges grow in Arctic and cold-temperate regions?

Sedges in the family Cyperaceae are well-represented in Arctic and cold-temperate regions, where they often serve as dominant components of the landscape.12

The genus Carex is the most widespread and diverse group of sedges in these northern latitudes, frequently dominating peatlands and serving as important pasture plants in boreal and mountainous areas. Other genera that are common in these cold environments include:123

• Eriophorum (cotton grasses), which are characteristic of boreal peatlands and Arctic tundra.234
• Eleocharis (spike rushes), which include species adapted to cold-temperate and Arctic regions.1
• Trichophorum (club rushes), which, along with Carex and Eriophorum, often dominate Northern Hemisphere peatlands.2
• Bolboschoenus, Cladium, Cyperus, and Schoenoplectus, which are frequently found in the marshes of temperate and boreal zones.2

Many of these sedges exhibit circumpolar distributions, facilitated by effective seed dispersal mechanisms, such as transport by migratory birds. In Arctic tundra specifically, sedges are primary components of the vegetation in boggy, coastal plain areas.134