Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - No. 74 - July 2008
Kath Pryce

On 11th January 2008 Ian Morgan arrived bearing a gift of what he assured us was Soft-leaved Sedge (or Mountain Sedge) Carex montana but what looked like a somewhat neglected head of hair in a pot. The colour was a subtle pale brown (OK for hair colour I think) but the texture left a bit to be desired for hair (deep conditioning required). I digress – botanically this is an interesting plant for us as this is the species that the BSBI Glynhir group re-found at Castell-du, near Ammanford, in June 2007. The plants found were small and flowers almost non-existant (too late in the season) so I anticipate seeing proper flowers this year.  I must escape the computer and divide and nurture this plant soon – it grows on rough grassland on limestone or base rich clays or loam, which is reflected in its few other Carmarthenshire sites either in coalfield unimproved pasture or on the mountain limestone outcrop at Carreg-yr-Ogof (from where Ian’s original rootlet came).  Also I notice that there is a request in a recent BSBI News, asking for supplies of seed of this species for the National Seed Bank.