Grass or grass-like · Cyperaceae

Squarrose sedge

Carex squarrosa

Squarrose sedge is recorded as native to 26 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 542 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

Squarrose sedge at a glance

Native in: 542 counties, across 26 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4b PLANTS minimum temperature −28°F
Mature height: 3 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Tolerates shade Medium water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 4b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −28°F; zone 4b winters bottom out at −25°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 542 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Alabama 7 counties
Arkansas 12 counties
Connecticut statewide record
Delaware 1 county
District of Columbia 1 county
Georgia 2 counties
Illinois 59 counties
Indiana 47 counties
Kansas 2 counties
Kentucky 58 counties
Louisiana 10 counties
Maryland 15 counties
Michigan 4 counties
Minnesota 1 county
Mississippi 3 counties
Missouri 58 counties
Nebraska 1 county
New Jersey 16 counties
New York 25 counties
North Carolina 23 counties
Ohio 41 counties
Pennsylvania 39 counties
South Carolina 1 county
Tennessee 34 counties
Virginia 56 counties
West Virginia 26 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: 3 ft
Growth rate: Slow
Growth form: Bunch
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Tolerant (tolerates shade)
Moisture use: Medium water use
Drought tolerance: None
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: High
Precipitation range: 34 to 55 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Medium and fine
pH range: 5.6 to 7.3
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Low
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 8 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −28°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 4b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 110
Fire tolerance: High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Green
Showy flowers: No
Bloom period: Mid 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: CASQ2

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 squarrosa (PLANTS symbol CASQ2).
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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