Origins

• White star flower grass grows native across the coastal plain of the southeastern United States, from Virginia to eastern Texas. It also occurs naturally in the West Indies, eastern Mexico and Central America, and only in French Guiana in northern South America. This sedge inhabits sandy peat bogs, wet meadows or ditches, fens, shores of ponds or lakes, or on swamp edges. The soil is usually near-neutral to moderately alkaline in pH.
  
  

Characteristics

• Often an evergreen perennial, white star flower grass grows from slender, scaly underground rhizomes that radiate fibrous roots. In good conditions, the rhizomes spread outward in the soil, creating a dense to loose clump of multiple plants. The leaves are long and slender, almost threadlike, mimicking the look of a meadow grass. Stems are triangular. New leaves emerge in spring to replace the older, often partially tan or brown leaves from the previous year.
  
  The rounded whitish spikelet of flowers appears on single stems, anytime from late spring to late summer depending on climate. White bracts -- modified leaves -- surround the spikelet to attract insect pollinators. Each bract is mainly bright white, but the tips revert back to green. Seeds later form and drop to the moist soil below.
  
  

Growing Considerations

• Grow white star flower grass outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 and warmer. The milder the winter, the greener and more attractive the foliage remains. Cut back the plant in late winter to remove dead leaves and encourage a lush, green flush of new leaves a few weeks later. Plant in full sun to partial shade in any soil type that is moist to shallowly submerged in water.
  
  

Uses

• White star flower grass will grow in average garden soils that receive irrigation and are typically moist. However, for lushest growth, supplemental watering is needed. This sedge makes a suitable addition to a wet pocket in a meadow or garden where water naturally accumulates. Plants may also be grown in containers and submerged partially in an ornamental garden pond. White star flower grass also makes a suitable plant for a bog garden alongside carnivorous plants and mosses.
  
  

Synonyms

• This perennial sedge is also referred to by a botanical synonym, Dichromena colorata, in some literature.