Greater tussock-sedge
- the bog girls' hair in all its glory
Carex is the name of this large group of little-known plants. You can recognise them by a triangular stem and its grass-like flower state.
Some carex-species form dense tussocks, and the greater tussock-sedge is a great example of this. Indeed, it can form hillocks which are more than 1.5 metres high and with a diameter of more than 1 metre.
A ground mist
The large tussocks with greatear tussock-sedge might resemble the wild hair of trolls and other bog people. In Ib Spang Olsen's story about the bog wife, she emerges from the bog with tousled hair and black toes.
The bog wife has a large pot, made of an old tree stump. In the pot she boils a potent brew of evening red, moonlight, celandine and willow skin, foxes barking, spider web and sniffles from a bog pig.
While the pot is steaming, a dense fog spreads over the marsh, and the elves start to dance. The brew must be finished before the sun rises as the bog people cannot tolerate sunlight.
The powerful tussocks on the bog are the tops of the bog girls' hair. They protrude because the bog girls did not make it down to the bog before the sun rose.
Facts about the greater tussock-sedge
The greater tussock- sedge grows in tussocks that can become over 1 metre high and more than 1 metre in diameter.
Perennial plant. Flowers in May and June.
The straws are sharply triangular. The leaves are narrow and rough.
The greater tussock- sedge is common in North Jutland and on the islands. More uncommon in the rest of the countries.
