Lake Sawgrass, Little Sawgrass...you may be wondering just what "Sawgrass" is. The name is pretty descriptive, actually. It is a grass-like plant with sharp little saw teeth along both edges of the blades.

A close-up reveals tiny, sharp points on the edges of the v-shaped blade.

Sawgrass grows profusely, often covering huge areas of wetlands. It isn't actually a grass, even though it is the plant that gave the Everglades the name "River of Grass".

It is what is known as a sedge - which as far as I can tell is pretty much just a grass with a saw edge to it.

<<Sidenote: All I know is, if your boat is drifting and you feel the need to grab a handfull of plants to stop your boat - don't grab this stuff! Particularly if you are going with enough speed to cause the plant to slip through your hand. You will find out quick enough how it got it's name!>>

Sawgrass is one of the oldest known plant species in the world. It provides food for deer and building material for alligators and other marsh critters. Snails attach their eggs to the blades, just above the waterline.

The white base of the central leaf bundle is supposedly tender and edible, but I haven't tried it yet. (If anyone has tried it, email me and let us know what you think.)

Sawgrass lines the side of the canal along the Sarno extension.

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