Carex lupulina Hop Sedge

General

This species is a large, showy sedge that is easily distinguishable from most other sedge species. It is a food source for some types of wildlife. It is often found in marshes and other areas with relatively stagnant inundation.

Plant Description

Yellow-green leaves are 0.2-0.4” wide and longer than the stems. Three-sided stems end in a male inflorescence, with 2-5 female inflorescences below. Many perigynia are clumped together in the female spike, which is 1-2.5” long and up to 1.5” wide. Perigynia are lance-shaped and balloon around the three-sided achene. Looks similar to the less common Carex lupuliformis, with subtle differences in the shape of the achenes.

Height (ft)
4.5'

Soil moisture
Wet

Soil types
Medium to fine textured mineral soils, often with some organic material

Wetland indicator
OBL

Shade tolerance
Intermediate, Full Sun to Partial Shade

Bloom color
Green

Bloom period
Spring

Drought tolerance
Low

Salinity tolerance
None

 

Distribution

Eastern half of the United States, to Minnesota and Texas.

Additional information

Brown, Lauren. Grasses: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City, 1979. LINK

Fassett, Norman C. A Manual of Aquatic Plants, First Edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York and London, 1940. LINK

Garbisch, Edgar W., and McIninch, Suzanne M. Propagation of Wetland Plants: Herbaceous Plants, Shrubs and Trees. Environmental Concern, Inc. 2003. LINK

Harris, James G., and Harris, Melinda Woolf. Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary, Second Edition. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, Utah. 2011. LINK

Hitchcock, A.S., and Chase, Agnes. Manual of the Grasses of the United States, Second Edition, Volume I. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1971. LINK

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press) LINK

McKenny, Margaret and Peterson, Roger Tory. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968. LINK

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Laurence Newcomb, Mexico. 1977. LINK

USDA, NRCS. 2021. PLANTS Database (https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/, 08/20/2021). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. LINK

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/grasses/plants/hop_sedge.html