Ravenfoot Sedge

Carex crus-corvi

Found in swamp forests, especially over calcareous substrates. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: About 3 feet
Spread: 1–2 feet
Light: Part to full shade
Soil moisture: Average to moist

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Carex crus-corvi — fruit photograph — Robert H. Mohlenbrock. USDA SCS. 1989. Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln. Provided by USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute (WSI). · Public domain · Original photograph

At a glance

Bloom: May to July
Fruiting season: Spring to summer

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Not yet recorded · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 15 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 117 animals.

Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Warbler
Wilsonia citrina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Kentucky Warbler
Oporornis formosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Limpkin
Aramus guarauna
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seiurus motacilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mississippi Kite
Ictinia mississippiensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Parula
Parula americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

18CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Carex

Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
Amolita roseolaPink Sedge Moth, Rosy Grass Moth
Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
Cercyonis pegalaCommon Wood Nymph
Deltote belliculaBurnished Bog Moth, Bog Deltote, Bog Lithacodia
Euphyes berryiBerry's Skipper
Euphyes dionDion Skipper, Sedge Skipper
Euphyes dukesiDukes' Skipper
Euphyes vestrisDun Skipper, Dun Sedge Skipper, Sedge Witch)\
Lethe appalachiaAppalachian Brown, Appalachian Eyed Brown

Show all 18

Leucania phragmitidicolaNeedle Wainscot, Phragmites Wainscot
Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
Neonympha areolataGeorgia Satyr, Helicta Satyr
Poanes viatorBroad-Winged Skipper
Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Cosmopterix ebriola
Donacaula dispersella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

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

50BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Carex

Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
Ammospiza leconteiiLeConte's Sparrow
Anas acutaNorthern Pintail
Anas creccaGreen-winged Teal
Anas platyrhynchosMallard
Anas rubripesAmerican Black Duck
Anser albifronsGreater White-fronted Goose
Anser caerulescensSnow Goose
Anser rossiiRoss's Goose

Show all 50

Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Branta canadensisCanada Goose
Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Calcarius ornatusChestnut-collared Longspur
Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Cygnus buccinatorTrumpeter Swan
Cygnus columbianusTundra Swan
Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutaRock Ptarmigan
Leucosticte atrataBlack Rosy-Finch
Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
Pheucticus ludovicianusRose-breasted Grosbeak
Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
Porzana carolinaSora
Rallus limicolaVirginia Rail
Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
Spatula discorsBlue-winged Teal
Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
Spizelloides arboreaAmerican Tree Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. 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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Cyperaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4–8
Flower color: Green
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Grows in clumps
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Spring
Fruit ends: Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May 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 · “Spring” · 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 · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 4–8” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
Height · “About 3 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Light · “Part to full shade” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
Soil · “moderately wet to medium” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
Spread · “1–2 feet” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder

Also known as

Crowfoot Sedge

Conservation status

Florida rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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.

How to check your spot

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.

Ravenfoot Sedge

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Carex