Muskingum River Sedge
Carex muskingumensis
65
Strong
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- 2–3 feet
- Spread
- 2–3 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Moist to standing water
Space about 2.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 16 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
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
- Bloom
- July
JFMAMJJASOND
Not yet recorded · Leaves
Recorded in 3 Arkansas counties.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 27 animals.
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
Widespread birds also seen here (61)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- Alder Flycatcher
- American Goldfinch
- American Redstart
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black-and-White Warbler
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Brown Creeper
- Canada Goose
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Cliff Swallow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Downy Woodpecker
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Screech-owl
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Gray Catbird
- Great Horned Owl
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Harris's Sparrow
- Hooded Merganser
- Lincoln's Sparrow
- Mallard
- Mississippi Kite
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Osprey
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Rusty Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Song Sparrow
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tree Swallow
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- White-throated Sparrow
- Wood Thrush
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- 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
- Hardiness
- Zones 1a–4b
- Flower color
- Brown/copper, yellow or green
What its natural habitat tells you
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “July” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
- Flower color · “Brown/copper, yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 1a–4b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
- Soil · “Frequent standing water; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
- Spread · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | S1 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | Not available |
| 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.
Growing cautions
- Spreads slowly. Spreads slowly by re-seeding and by rhizomes. Tennessee Smart Yards
For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.
Sources
- Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- 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