Grass or grass-like · Cyperaceae

Yellow flatsedge

Cyperus flavescens

Yellow flatsedge is recorded as native to 25 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 524 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

Yellow flatsedge at a glance

Native in: 524 counties, across 25 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 11b PLANTS minimum temperature 42°F
Mature height: 2 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Full sun (shade-intolerant) Medium water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 11b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of 42°F; zone 11b winters bottom out at 45°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 524 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Alabama 7 counties
Arkansas 18 counties
California 4 counties
District of Columbia 1 county
Florida 36 counties
Georgia 11 counties
Illinois 14 counties
Indiana 23 counties
Kentucky 67 counties
Louisiana 15 counties
Massachusetts 1 county
Michigan 5 counties
Mississippi 2 counties
Missouri 34 counties
New Jersey 17 counties
New York 10 counties
North Carolina 44 counties
Ohio 26 counties
Pennsylvania 26 counties
South Carolina 7 counties
Tennessee 46 counties
Texas 17 counties
Virginia 72 counties
West Virginia 17 counties
Puerto Rico 4 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: Annual
Mature height: 2 ft
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth form: Bunch
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Not recorded
Active growth period: Summer and Fall

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intolerant (full sun (shade-intolerant))
Moisture use: Medium water use
Drought tolerance: Low
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: Medium
Precipitation range: 24 to 55 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse and medium
pH range: 5 to 7
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Medium
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 8 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: 42°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 11b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 90
Fire tolerance: Low

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Red
Showy flowers: No
Bloom period: Late Summer
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Black

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: No Known Source
Family: Cyperaceae
PLANTS symbol: CYFL

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: Cyperus flavescens (PLANTS symbol CYFL).
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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