Grasses, Rushes, Sedges and allies

This page is your first step in identifying a grass, rush or sedge - a terrifying ordeal for some and a huge task when you are new to plant identification, but one which can be conquered in time. These plants fall mostly into three familes, the Juncaceae (rushes & wood-rushes), the Cyperaceae (sedges and allies) and the Poaceae (grasses) and the essential differences between the families are described and illustrated in greater detail on a separate page, which you can visit by clicking here.

Rushes have some rather basic similarities that define them and set them apart from the other groups, as do wood-rushes, sedges and most sedge allies. However, grasses are very much more variable and, if every tiny variation was catered for on this page, it would simply be a list of all of the grasses! So in the pictures below, you should find all of the basic groups covered, but you might need to go for a 'best match' for some less common species at this stage and follow the link to get further information to narrow your search. Do remember that you simply need to hit return to come back to this page if you think that you made the wrong choice.

As a further aid to those still getting to know grasses, a few pages have been constructed to cover short lists of the commoner and most frequently found species in each of the major habitat types. These can be viewed by choosing from the Habitat Lists at the foot of this page, though it should always be borne in mind that the odd plant can turn up in odd places now and again! The habitat pages will help you with the commonest species and from there you can follow the species group links to check your plant against other, similar species.

Bear in mind that most rushes and sedges are plants of wet or seasonally wet ground, so habitat doesn't help quite so much with them, though a few species are regularly found on dry ground (such as Sand Sedge) or favour acid or alkaline soil.

At this stage, be sure to read the texts below, as they contain identification information that may not be visible in the photographs.


Use the photos and texts below to narrow your search to a group, then click on the picture to go to the next stage.



Six Petals
Flowers with six, bract-like 'petals', held closely together at first but later in a spreading, star-shaped arrangement.

Sharp-flowered Rush Jointed Rush Toad Rush Heath Wood-rush
Rushes
Rushes
Rushes
Wood-rushes
Jointed Rush
Rushes


Flowers in a short, terminal cluster
Flowers arranged in a very dense cluster at the top of a leafless stem. Plants may form spreading colonies of stems, or may form dense clumps. Plants with this flower arrangement are often very small overall and typically grow in wet ground.

Common Spike-rush Common Spike-rush Common Spike-rush Common Spike-rush
Spike-rushes
Spike-rushes
Spike-rushes
Spike-rushes
Bristle Club-rush
Club-rushes


Flowers in tight heads of tight clusters
Flowers arranged in a collection of tight clusters, which themselves are clustered together in tight groups to form heads that are generally not more than twice as long as wide.

Common Canary-grass Rough Dog's-tail Hare's-tail Grass Early Hair-grass
Canary-grasses
Rough Dog's-tail
Hare's-tail Grass
Early Hair-grass
Heath Wood-rush Sea Club-rush Black Bog-rush White Beak-sedge
Wood-rushes
Club-rushes
Bog-rushes
Beak-sedges
Common Cottongrass Common Yellow Sedge Small Bur-grass
Cottongrasses
Sedges
Bur-grasses


Flowers in open heads of tight clusters
Open flowerheads with fine side branches radiating off a central axis. The flowers are carried in often quite compact clusters towards the ends of the side branches. Clicking on the pictures in this group will take you to the next stage, which looks more closely at the flowers and their arrangement.

Narrow-leaved Meadow-grass Annual Meadow-grass Reflexed Saltmarsh-grass Common Soft-brome
Meadow-grasses
Meadow-grasses
Saltmarsh-grasses
Bromes
Common Soft-brome Meadow Brome Downy Oat-grass Hungarian Brome
Bromes
Bromes
Oat-grasses
Bromes
Cock's-foot Great Hairy Brome Rye Brome Greater Quaking-grass
Cock's-foot
Bromes
Bromes
Quaking-grasses
Hairy Wood-rush Great Fen-sedge Pale Galingale Common Galingale
Wood-rushes
Fen-sedges
Galingales
Galingales
Grey Club-rush Sharp-flowered Rush Jointed Rush
Club-rushes
Rushes
Rushes


Flowers in loose, open-branched heads
Flowers arranged in an open head with many side branches. The side branches are bare towards their bases and typically spread out broadly (often at 90 degrees to the main axis). The florets are clustered in small groups or are carried singly towards the ends of these side branches. This is a very common flowerhead type among grasses, so closer attention to the details of the individual florets may be required. Clicking on the pictures in this group will take you to the next stage, which looks more closely at the flowers and their arrangement.

Velvet Bent Velvet Bent Wild Oat Yellow Oat-grass
Bents
Bents
Oats
Oat-grasses
Loose Silky-bent Tufted Hair-grass Wavy Hair-grass Argentine Needle-grass
Silky-bents
Tufted Hair-grass
Wavy Hair-grass
Needle-grasses
Annual Meadow-grass Hard Fescue Yorkshire-fog Whorl-grass
Meadow-grasses
Smaller fescues
Yorkshire-fog
Whorl-grass
Narrow-leaved Meadow-grass Reed Canary-grass Wood Millet Wood Melick
Meadow-grasses
Reed Canary-grass
Wood Millet
Melicks
Soft Rush Hard Rush
Rushes
Rushes


Flowers in showy plumes
Flowerheads made up of many, tiny flowers arranged in a multitude of side branches that together form a large and showy structure. These flowerheads are often carried well above the leaves, with the flowers followed by seeds attached to feathery structures that help with wind dispersal. Pampas-grass is a well-known and familiar example of this group.

Reed Sweet-grass Common Reed Purple Small-reed New Zealand Pampas-grasses
Reed Sweet-grass
Common Reed
Small-reeds
Pampas-grasses
Chinese Silver-grass Common Millet
Silver-grasses
Millets


Narrow spikes of loose or openly-spaced flowers
Flowers arranged along a long, narrow axis which may be more or less upright, or arching. The flowers may be tightly clustered in small groups, but the groups are arranged openly along a series of narrow side branches. Alternatively, the flowers may be solitary in a narrow, upright spike that resembles a simple extension of the stem rather than a flowerhead and such plants can be very small and easily overlooked. Clicking on the pictures in this group will take you to the next stage, which looks more closely at the flowers and their arrangement.

Perennial Rye-grass Perennial Rye-grass Common Couch Common Couch
Rye-grasses
Rye-grasses
Couches
Couches
Purple Moor-grass Meadow Fescue Meadow Fescue Squirreltail Fescue
Purple Moor-grass
Larger fescues
Larger fescues
Squirreltail Fescue
Heath-grass Sand Sedge Star Sedge Many-leaved Sedge
Heath-grass
Sedges
Sedges
Sedges
Spring Sedge Carnation Sedge Remote Sedge
Sedges
Sedges
Sedges
Common False-brome Mat-grass Common Hard-grass Early Sand-grass
Common False-brome
Mat-grass
Common Hard-grass
Early Sand-grass


Narrow spikes of dense flowers
Flowers arranged in a narrow spike, typically densely packed together, but sometimes more openly spaced. The spike may be upright, or arching over with the weight of the flowers. The flowers may have awns (bristles) and they may be arranged tightly packed on short side branches, or clustered on the main axis of the spike. Clicking on the pictures in this group will take you to the next stage, which looks more closely at the flowers and their arrangement.

Timothy Timothy Crested Dog's-tail European Marram
Cat's-tails
Cat's-tails
Crested Dog's-tail
European Marram
Meadow Foxtail Sweet Vernal-grass Wall Barley Bread Wheat
Foxtails
Sweet Vernal-grass
Barleys
Wheat
Green Bristle-grass Yellow Bristle-grass Annual Beard-grass Early Hair-grass
Bristle-grasses
Bristle-grasses
Beard-grasses
Early Hair-grass
Sea Fern-grass Common Flat-sedge Common Sedge Green-ribbed Sedge
Fern-grasses
Flat-sedges
Sedges
Sedges
Green-ribbed Sedge Green-ribbed Sedge Cyperus Sedge Pendulous Sedge
Sedges
Sedges
Sedges
Sedges


Flowers in finger-like spikes
Flowers arranged in two or more, narrow, finger-like spikes. These spikes may be arranged as side branches along a main axis, or they may all radiate out from a single point at the top of the stem and often resemble a bird's foot in appearance.

Common Bermuda-grass Common Cockspur-grass Shama Millet Maize
Finger-grasses
Millets
Millets
Maize
Common Saltmarsh-grass Common Cord-grass Chinese Silver-grass Giant Silver-grass
Saltmarsh-grasses
Cord-grasses
Silver-grasses
Silver-grasses


Unusual Grasses
Grass-like plants, but with rather atypical features, such as woody stems or surprisingly odd flower spikes. If your plant looks like a regular grass, sedge or rush but without flowers, you will probably have to visit the plant again at a later date, when it is in flower.

Great Millet Maize Umbrella Bamboo Umbrella Bamboo
Great Millet (Sorghum)
Maize
Bamboos
Bamboos
Bulbous Meadow-grass Bulbous Meadow-grass Bulbous Rush
Viviparous plants
Viviparous plants
Viviparous plants




Habitat Lists for Commoner Grasses

The following links offer a chance to view the most frequent or characteristic grasses of certain habitat types. Note that these offer a basic guide and it's always worth following the link further to check for other, similar species that might need to be considered. The first link leads to a page covering the 20 most abundant and most widespread grass species in our region across all habitats, with a view to helping you to become familiar with them.



  • The Top 20
  • Urban Sites - Walls, Pavements & Paths
  • Urban Sites - Gardens & Parks
  • Hedgebanks and Roadsides
  • Arable Farmland & Disturbed Ground
  • Chalk Grassland & Meadows
  • Acid Heaths
  • Woodland & Shady Places
  • Freshwater Wetlands
  • Coastal Sites - Sandy Beaches & Dunes
  • Coastal Sites - Shingle Beaches & Saltmarsh