Cypress-knee Sedge
Carex decomposita
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in swamps; freshwater marshes; streams, rivers and their banks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
57
Strong
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- About 4.5 feet
- Light
- Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Moist to standing water
Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source
Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.
At a glance
- Bloom
- April to July
- Fruiting season
- Summer
JFMAMJJASOND
Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves
Recorded in 12 Arkansas counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 3
Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.
Streams, rivers and their banks
Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 77 animals.
Widespread birds also seen here (57)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Brown Creeper
- Brown Thrasher
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Cliff Swallow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Downy Woodpecker
- Eastern Bluebird
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Screech-owl
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Great Horned Owl
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Harris's Sparrow
- Hooded Merganser
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Osprey
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-crowned Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Wild Turkey
- Wood Thrush
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
20CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Carex
- Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
- Amolita roseolaPink Sedge Moth, Rosy Grass Moth
- Amphipoea americanaAmerican Ear Moth, American Borer
- Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
- Apamea sordensBordered Apamea, Rustic Shoulder-Knot
- Cercyonis pegalaCommon Wood Nymph
- Deltote belliculaBurnished Bog Moth, Bog Deltote, Bog Lithacodia
- Euphyes bimaculaTwo-Spotted Skipper, Two-Spotted Sedge Skipper
- Euphyes dionDion Skipper, Sedge Skipper
- Euphyes dukesiDukes' Skipper
Show all 20
- Euphyes vestrisDun Skipper, Dun Sedge Skipper, Sedge Witch)\
- Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
- Lethe appalachiaAppalachian Brown, Appalachian Eyed Brown
- Leucania phragmitidicolaNeedle Wainscot, Phragmites Wainscot
- Macrochilo absorptalisSlant-Lined Owlet; Slant-Lined Fan-foot
- Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Donacaula dispersella
1BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Carex
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
31BirdsRecorded eating Carex in Arkansas
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.
- Ruffed GrouseSeeds and fruit. 25 diet records
- American Tree SparrowSeeds. 24 diet records
- SoraSeeds. 9 diet records
- American CootSeeds. 6 diet records
- Vesper Sparrow6 diet records
- MallardSeeds. 5 diet records
- Snow GooseLeaves and roots. 3 diet records
- Greater White-fronted GooseLeaves and roots. 3 diet records
- Northern Bobwhite3 diet records
- Wild Turkey2 diet records
Show all 31
- American Black DuckSeeds. 1 diet record
- American Pipit1 diet record
- American Wigeon1 diet record
- Blue-winged TealSeeds. 1 diet record
- Brown-headed Cowbird1 diet record
- Canada GooseLeaves. 1 diet record
- Chestnut-collared Longspur1 diet record
- Chipping SparrowSeeds. 1 diet record
- Dark-eyed JuncoSeeds. 1 diet record
- House FinchSeeds. 1 diet record
- Lapland Longspur1 diet record
- Northern CardinalSeeds. 1 diet record
- Northern PintailSeeds. 1 diet record
- Red-winged Blackbird1 diet record
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakSeeds. 1 diet record
- Ross's Goose1 diet record
- Smith's Longspur1 diet record
- Song SparrowSeeds. 1 diet record
- Spotted TowheeSeeds. 1 diet record
- Sprague's Pipit1 diet record
- White-crowned SparrowSeeds. 1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Carex 31
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- American Tree SparrowSpizella arborea
- SoraPorzana carolina
- American CootFulica americana
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Snow GooseChen caerulescens
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- American WigeonAnas americana
- Blue-winged TealAnas discors
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Chestnut-collared LongspurCalcarius ornatus
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- House FinchCarpodacus mexicanus
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Ross's GooseChen rossii
- Smith's LongspurCalcarius pictus
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus
- Sprague's PipitAnthus spragueii
- White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Cyperaceae
- Flower color
- Green
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Growth habit
- Grows in clumps
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Summer
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “April to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Grows in clumps” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Height · “About 4.5 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Light · “Partial shade; Full shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Soil · “Moist; Water; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as
Cypress knee Sedge; Cypressknee Sedge
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | S2 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G3G4 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Sources
- Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013)
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition
- NatureServe Explorer
- Arkansas occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications