States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaArkansasFloridaLouisianaMississippiVirginiaWest Virginia
Menu

Nerveless Woodland Sedge

Carex leptonervia

Found in nutrient-rich forests, such as rich, seepy northern hardwoods forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

58
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
About 2 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
May to June
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 4 West 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.

Northern hardwood forests

High mountain forests of beech, yellow birch and sugar maple, including boulderfield forests.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 76 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (38)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

23CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Carex

  • Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
  • Amolita roseolaPink Sedge Moth, Rosy Grass Moth
  • Amphipoea americanaAmerican Ear Moth, American Borer
  • Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
  • Apamea sordensBordered Apamea, Rustic Shoulder-Knot
  • Cercyonis pegalaCommon Wood Nymph
  • Ctenucha virginicaVirginia Ctenucha
  • Deltote belliculaBurnished Bog Moth, Bog Deltote, Bog Lithacodia
  • Euphyes bimaculaTwo-Spotted Skipper, Two-Spotted Sedge Skipper
  • Euphyes vestrisDun Skipper, Dun Sedge Skipper, Sedge Witch)\
Show all 23
  • 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
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Elachista cucullata
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
28BirdsRecorded eating Carex in West Virginia

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

Show all 28
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 28

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

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS3S4
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot 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

Sources