Spreading Sedge
Carex laxiculmis var. laxiculmis
57
Strong
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 59%
- Height
- Up to about 20 inches
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
- Life cycle
- Perennial
Not yet recorded · Spread · Light · Soil · Leaves · Bloom
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 11 Arkansas counties.
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 or brown
What its natural habitat tells you
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Green or brown” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “Up to about 20 inches” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | S2S3 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5T4T5 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013)
- USDA PLANTS
- 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