SafePlants

Hop Sedge (Carex lupulina) and False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis)

This page provides information about Hop Sedge (Carex lupulina) and False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis), both members of the sedge family (Cyperaceae). These plants are found in wetland environments and offer ecological benefits, but one species is endangered and deserves careful consideration.

Considerations for Pets

• Both Hop Sedge and False Hop Sedge have grass-like leaves. While not explicitly stated as toxic, be mindful that some pets may ingest the leaves, potentially leading to digestive upset.
• The plants produce spiky catkins or seed heads ("hop-like" seed heads), which could present a physical hazard if ingested or if they become lodged in a pet's fur or paws.

Considerations for Children

• The plants produce spiky catkins or seed heads ("hop-like" seed heads), which could present a physical hazard if ingested or if they cause skin irritation.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Scientific Name: Carex lupulina Muhl. ex Willd. (Hop Sedge) and Carex lupuliformis Sartwell ex Dewey (False Hop Sedge)
• Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge Family)
• Kingdom: Plantae
• Synonyms: Both species share the common name "hop sedge," which can cause confusion. Carex pseudocyperus is also sometimes referred to as "cyperus sedge" or "hop sedge."

Distribution and Habitat

• Hop Sedge (Carex lupulina): Found in the eastern half of North America.
• False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis): A North American species, distributed throughout the eastern United States and southernmost Ontario and Quebec. This species is rarer than Carex lupulina. There are only two known populations in Quebec and five in Ontario.
• Habitat: Both species inhabit wetlands such as marshy lakeshores, swamp openings, grassy marshes, pond edges, lake shores, swamps, ditches, wooded ravines, wet woodlands, margins of ponds, streams, lakes, swamps, wet prairies, swamp forests, and wet meadows. They prefer wet to medium-wet soils.

Ecological Role

• Both species are beneficial in wetland areas.
• Their achenes provide food for various creatures.
• They provide food and cover to numerous insects, birds, and sometimes even turtles.

Morphological Characteristics

• Hop Sedge (Carex lupulina): A perennial sedge that grows 1-3 feet tall, forming a loose tuft of flowering culms and leaves. The culms are light green, glabrous, and 3-angled. Leaves are erect to fountain-like clumping form
• False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis): A grass-like perennial plant that grows 50 to 130 centimeters tall, typically forming dense clumps of several stems.

Conservation Status

• False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis) is listed as Endangered on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act in Canada as of June 2003.

Quirky Facts

• Hop sedge is known to stay green very late into the season, often into October and even early November, making it easier to identify later in the year.
• The flowers of Hop Sedge, produced from June through August, are shaped like hops or pineapples.

Further Information

• Michigan Natural Features Inventory: P.O. Box 30444 - Lansing, MI 48909-7944. Phone: 517-373-1552
• Toadshade Wildflower Farm: A mail-order nursery in Frenchtown, NJ, specializing in native perennial wildflowers, offers Carex lupulina.
• Illinois Plant Information Network (ILPIN): Provides Illinois distribution information.
• Recovery Strategy for the False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis) in Canada, Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series, Environment Canada, Ottawa.
• Endangered Resces Program: Information including identification information, photos, and links for Carex lupuliformis.