Grass or grass-like · Cyperaceae

Golden sedge

Carex aurea

Golden sedge is recorded as native to 28 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 413 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Golden sedge at a glance

Native in: 413 counties, across 28 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4a PLANTS minimum temperature −33°F
Mature height: 1.2 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Sun to part shade High water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 4a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −33°F; zone 4a winters bottom out at −30°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 413 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Alaska 12 counties
Arizona 3 counties
California 20 counties
Colorado 24 counties
Connecticut statewide record
Idaho 19 counties
Illinois 4 counties
Indiana 5 counties
Maine 11 counties
Massachusetts 5 counties
Michigan 56 counties
Minnesota 28 counties
Montana 10 counties
Nebraska 12 counties
Nevada 8 counties
New Hampshire 2 counties
New Mexico 7 counties
New York 32 counties
North Dakota 21 counties
Ohio 3 counties
Oregon 25 counties
South Dakota 7 counties
Texas 1 county
Utah 24 counties
Vermont 12 counties
Washington 18 counties
Wisconsin 26 counties
Wyoming 18 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 1.2 ft
Growth rate: Slow
Growth form: Rhizomatous
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intermediate (sun to part shade)
Moisture use: High water use
Drought tolerance: None
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: High
Precipitation range: 14 to 40 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse and medium
pH range: 5.5 to 7.2
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Low
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Low
Minimum root depth: 8 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −33°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 85
Fire tolerance: High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Green
Showy flowers: No
Bloom period: Late Spring
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Brown

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Cyperaceae
PLANTS symbol: CAAU3

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Carex aurea (PLANTS symbol CAAU3).
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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