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Cattail Sedge

Carex typhina

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in bottomland forests, swamp forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

57
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
1–2 feet
Light
Full to part sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
May to September
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 15 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Swamps

The Land of Evangeline
Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874)The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 99 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (17)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

18CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · 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 dionDion Skipper, Sedge Skipper
  • Euphyes dukesiDukes' Skipper
  • 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
Show all 18
  • Leucania phragmitidicolaNeedle Wainscot, Phragmites Wainscot
  • Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • 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
29BirdsRecorded eating Carex in Louisiana

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.

Show all 29
Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

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 29

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Cyperaceae
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 September” · 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
  • Height · “1–2 feet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Light · “Full to part sun” · Tennessee Smart Yards · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Soil · “wet to moderately wet” · Tennessee Smart Yards · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources