Plantain-Leaved Sedge (Carex plantaginea)
[KARE-eks plan-taj-in-EE-ah]

Semi-Evergreen Perennial Clump-Forming, Low-Spreading in the Cyperaceae Family
Almost evergreen foliage is bright green with a puckered look and subtle purple-brown flowers. Wide foliage, similar to ramps.
Carex plantaginea is a native North American woodland sedge that forms low, loosely spreading clumps 6 to 12 inches tall. Its broad, glossy green leaves are unusually wide for a sedge, with a distinctive puckered or 'seersucker' texture and a touch of purple at the base. In spring it sends up short flower spikes in subtle purple-brown tones, followed by yellow-green florets with black tips. Found naturally in rich deciduous forests and other shaded, humid woodlands, it prefers consistently moist, well-drained soil in partial to full shade and is nearly evergreen through Chicago winters, with only the oldest leaf tips browning.

Pros

  • Unusually broad, glossy, textured foliage for a sedge — reads almost like a small hosta
  • Nearly evergreen in Chicago winters, so it holds interest beyond the growing season
  • Deer- and rabbit-resistant groundcover alternative to hostas in shade
  • Hosts satyr butterfly larvae and feeds birds with its seed

Cons

  • Will not tolerate full sun, even in consistently moist soil
  • Slow to spread, so it takes time to fill in as a groundcover
  • Needs reliably moist soil — struggles in dry shade unlike some other Carex
Why Like A larval host plant for the Appalachian Brown butterfly, and its seeds feed birds and small mammals through fall and winter. Native to rich deciduous woodlands across eastern North America, it's notably rare within Cook County — planting it supports a genuinely uncommon piece of the regional woodland flora, not just a generic native sedge.
Highlights One of the showiest-foliaged sedges for shade, with broad, puckered, almost hosta-like leaves rather than typical grassy blades. Native to rich deciduous woodlands across eastern North America, and notably rare within Cook County, making it a good native-plant choice for a Chicago-area woodland garden.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 6 - 12 inches tall. 10 - 18 inches wide.
Growth Rate Slow
Sun Exposure Full Shade - Partial Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium - Wet: Needs consistently moist soil and does not tolerate drought well — unlike several other Carex species in this genus, this one is a moisture-lover, not a dry-shade specialist. Average to wet moisture levels suit it best.
Zones 3a - 8b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Birds, Deer Resistant, Full Shade, Grasses, Groundcover, Illinois Native, Medium, Native to North America, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Shade Tolerant, Wet, Wet Site Tolerant, Woodland Garden
Bloom Period May
Flower Color Purple-Brown
Foliage Color Green, with Purple Sheaths
 

Plant Club Content

Commonly Planted with...

Combine with other moist-shade woodland companions such as ferns, hostas, Solomon's seal, wild ginger, and spring ephemerals that share its preference for rich, consistently moist soil in partial to full shade.
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/03 - 10/04
2024 : 05/01 - 10/05

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!