Beaked Sedge

Carex schweinitzii

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in wet meadows, calcareous seeps, spring marshes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height: 2–4 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Moist to wet

Will it fit your yard?

Carex utriculata — flower photograph — (c) Owen Strickland, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

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

Bloom: June to August
Fruiting season: Spring to summer

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 8 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 3

Groundwater seep. Shown: Gum Swamp Trail, Weymouth Woods, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Weymouth Woods Gum Swamp Trail seep, ncwetlands.org, undated. CC BY 2.0. Source record.

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

Freshwater marshes

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

All habitats

Also found with this plant

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

Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Pipit
Anthus rubescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-and-White Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-winged Warbler
Vermivora pinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canada Warbler
Wilsonia canadensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Dendroica pensylvanica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Birds. 1 shared habitat

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: Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Spring
Fruit ends: Summer

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to August” · 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” · 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 · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “2–4 feet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
Light · “Full sun” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
Soil · “wet to moderately wet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading

Also known as

Carex schweinitzii; Carex schweinitzii (misapplied); Northwest Territory Sedge

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S1
Global rank	G5
VA 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.

Beaked 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