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Eastern Narrowleaf Sedge

Carex amphibola

Found in moist loamy forests, bottomlands, slopes, uplands. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

65
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
3 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to average
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
April to June
Fruiting season
Summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 83 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

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 Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 134 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

31CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Carex

  • Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
  • Amolita roseolaPink Sedge Moth, Rosy Grass Moth
  • Amphipoea americanaAmerican Ear Moth, American Borer
  • Amphipoea interoceanicaStrawberry Cutworm, Interoceanic Ear Moth
  • Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
  • Apamea indocilisIgnorant Apamea
  • 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
Show all 31
  • Euphyes dionDion Skipper, Sedge Skipper
  • Euphyes dukesiDukes' Skipper
  • Euphyes vestrisDun Skipper, Dun Sedge Skipper, Sedge Witch)\
  • Helotropha reniformisAmerican Crescent Borer, Reniform Celaena, Reniform Helotropha
  • Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
  • Lethe appalachiaAppalachian Brown, Appalachian Eyed Brown
  • Leucania phragmitidicolaNeedle Wainscot, Phragmites Wainscot
  • Limochores mysticLong Dash
  • Loscopia velataVeiled Ear Moth, Veiled Grass Moth
  • Macrochilo absorptalisSlant-Lined Owlet; Slant-Lined Fan-foot
  • Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
  • Meropleon diversicolorMulticolored Sedgeminer
  • Mythimna oxygalaLesser Wainscot
  • Neonympha mitchelliiMitchell's Satyr
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Plusia putnamiPutnam's Looper Moth, Lempke's Gold Spot
  • Poanes viatorBroad-Winged Skipper
  • Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Cosmopterix clemensella
  • 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
Flower color
Green
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Summer

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “April to June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (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 · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “3 feet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil · “medium to moderately dry” · Tennessee Smart Yards · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
Also known as

Eastern Narrow Leaf Sedge

Conservation status

Virginia rankS4
Global rankG5
VA 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