Native Plant Database

Header Photo: Mervin Wallace

Bicknell’s Sedge

Carex bicknellii
Plant Type: Grasses / Sedges / Rushes
Native Environment: Prairie
Season of Interest: Early (Feb - Apr), Mid (May - June), Late (July - frost)
Main Color: Green
Fall Color:

USDA PLANTS Range Map

At the range map link above, zoom in for county-level data

Photo: Prairie Moon Nursery, Bugwood.org, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.
Sun Exposure 
Full Sun, Medium Sun/Average Shade
Soil
Moisture
Dry, Moderate, High, Wet
Nature Attracting
Songbirds
Wildlife Benefit
Cover, Food/Birds
Animal
Resistance
Deer Resistant
Size

Height:

18 to
36
inches

Spread:

18 to
24
inches
Size
Height: 18 to
36
inches
Spread: 18 to
24
inches
Size
Height: 18 to
36
inches
Spread: 18 to
24
inches
Typical Landscape Use
Dry or wet meadows or prairies, rain gardens.
Establishment and Care Instructions
Prefers moderate soil, but more tolerant of dry soil than other sedges and will also grow in wet soil. Foliage may die back in hot and dry conditions.
Special Features
Special Usage
Rainscaping
Basic Description

The flowering structures of this medium-textured clumping sedge hover, straight or nodding, high above the upright grass-like leaves of the foliage. Each inflorescence contains several yellowish green ovoid spikelets bearing enclosed ovoid-flattened achenes that contain the seeds; the enclosures turn from green to tan or brown in late summer.

Brown inflorescence of Bicknell's sedge with spikelets bearing enclosed ovoid-flattened achenes

Brown inflorescence of Bicknell’s sedge. Photo: Bruce Schuette.

Where Should I Start?

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Where Can I Find This Plant in Nature?

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