Cyperaceae

Vernal sedge

Carex caryophyllea Latourr.

Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Carex

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Vernal sedge (Carex caryophyllea) — FlowerPhoto: Patrick Hacker, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (23)

arz: كاريكس كاريوفيليا
Belarusian: Асака вясенняя
Bulgarian: Пролетна острица
Catalan: Càrex vernal
Chinese: 山羊薹草, 山羊苔草
Czech: Ostřice jarní
Danish: Vår-Star
Dutch: Voorjaarszegge
English: Vernal sedge, Spring-sedge
Estonian: Kevadtarn
Finnish: Kevätsara
French: Laîche printanière
German: Frühlings-Segge, Frühlingssegge
hsb: Nalětnja rězna
Latvian: Pavasara grīslis
Lithuanian: Ankstyvoji viksva
Macedonian: Пролетна острика
Norwegian Bokmål: Vårstarr
Polish: Turzyca wiosenna
Russian: Осока гвоздичная, Осока весенняя, Осока митровая, Осока русская, Осока шершавошиповатая
Swedish: Vårstarr
Ukrainian: Осока весняна
Welsh: Hesgen gynnar

Synonyms

Carex anomala Janka
Carex caryophyllea f. argyrata (Waisb.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. chlorantha (Waisb.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. dissita Franch. ex Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. globuliflora (Waisb.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. glomerata (Waisb.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. gynobasis P.Fourn.
Carex caryophyllea f. laxiflora (Waisb.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. leiocarpa Franch. ex Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. longevaginata (Kük.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. longibracteata (Beck) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. luxurians (Kük.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. monostachya Asch. & Graebn.
Carex caryophyllea f. pallescens Kneuck.
Carex caryophyllea f. pedunculata (Beck) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. pygmaea (F.Fleisch.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. refracta (Roth) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. subpolyrrhiza (Kük.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea f. umbrosiformis (F.Fleisch.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea prol. insulana Rouy
Carex caryophyllea subsp. insularis (Christ) Arrigoni
Carex caryophyllea var. angustifolia Asch. & Graebn.
Carex caryophyllea var. caespitosa (F.Fleisch.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea var. cuspidata (Royer) Rouy
Carex caryophyllea var. cuspidata Royer
Carex caryophyllea var. elatior (Bogenh.) Asch. & Graebn.
Carex caryophyllea var. fuscotincta (Merino) C.Vicioso
Carex caryophyllea var. insularis (Christ) Briq.
Carex caryophyllea var. mollis Asch. & Graebn.
Carex caryophyllea var. oxycarpa (Waisb.) Kük.
Carex caryophyllea var. rhizostachya (Cariot) Rouy
Carex caryophyllea var. sierra-nevadae H.Lindb.
Carex decumbens Moench
Carex fuscotincta Merino
Carex insulana Rouy
Carex insulana (Rouy) Prain
Carex mollis Host
Carex pediformis var. rostrata F.Schmidt
Carex praecox Jacq.
Carex praecox f. fissa Kük.

and 52 more.

Flowers

In flower: March to May (from 118 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, St. Pierre and Miquelon: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Patrick Hacker, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Patrick Hacker, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: arthur_haendler, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Fyodor Pudovikov, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Kristian Peters -- Fabelfroh 08:36, 20 May 2007, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Hugo.arg, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Christian Berg, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Hugo.arg, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Марина Садыкова, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Grzegorz Grzejszczak, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Carex

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.