← Bedfellow

Pennsylvania Sedge

Carex pensylvanica

Soft, fine-textured green blades form creeping, tufted mats that spread gently by short rhizomes beneath mature shade trees. An ideal native lawn alternative for dry, dappled shade where turfgrass fails. Requires little to no mowing and tolerates dry soils once established.

Family

Cyperaceae

Type

grass

Lifespan

perennial

Height

0.5–1 ft

Spacing

0.5–1 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade, shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

May, June, July

Bloom colors

brown

Wildlife value

larval host

Landscape uses

border, groundcover, container, erosion control, naturalizing

Native states

AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV