Sallow Sedge

Carex lurida

Found in bogs, fens, swamps, marshes, ditches, and other wetlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

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

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Height: 1–3 feet
Spread: 1–3 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Carex lurida — fruit photograph — (c) Nathan Aaron, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: April to September
Fruiting season: Summer to fall

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Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 102 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 4

Named place / source context. Shown: Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, as titled by Museum of Fine Arts Boston; nineteenth-century artistic interpretation, a neighboring state.View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, Regis Francois Gignoux, 1850. Public domain. Source record.

Mountain bogs and fens

Wet, open, peaty mountain wetlands fed by seepage, often with sphagnum moss.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 142 animals.

Least Flycatcher
Empidonax minimus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seiurus motacilla
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Prothonotary Warbler
Protonotaria citrea
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Red-headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Swainson's Warbler
Limnothlypis swainsonii
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Swamp Sparrow
Melospiza georgiana
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Birds. 3 shared habitats
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Worm-eating Warbler
Helmitheros vermivorum
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 3 shared habitats

All wildlife of Virginia

Care

Keep the soil moist.

Care sources

NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carex lurida

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
Hardiness: Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Green or inconspicuous
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Grows in clumps
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Fall

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green or inconspicuous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
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 · “Fall” · 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 3a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
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; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Shallow Sedge

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sallow Sedge

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Care

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Carex