Hop Sedge

Carex lupulina

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Satyrodes eurydice (Eyed Brown)
S14 Nearctic host record; S10 confirmed on wetland sedges
❄️ Winter Food Source: Carex seeds are consumed by at least 63 bird species (genus-level data). Major consumers include waterfowl such as Green-winged Teal (34% diet by volume), Mallard (23%), Northern Pintail (58%), and Blue-winged Teal (18%), plus gamebirds like Ruffed Grouse and Wild Turkey. Rails (Sora, Virginia Rail) rely heavily on Carex seeds; Sora occurrence reaches 52%. Seeds persist through fall into winter, providing a critical food source for overwintering and migratory waterfowl.
S57 avian diet data; S10 seeds important to coots, ducks, rails, gamebirds

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Secure (S5) in Ontario and Apparently Secure (S4) in Quebec. Globally ranked G5 (Secure) by NatureServe with IUCN status LC (Least Concern). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Common in the Ottawa region (S62) but noted as rare near Stittsville in the 1978 Gillett & White flora (S63). Widely distributed across eastern North America from Manitoba to Nova Scotia and south to Florida and Texas.
S22 G5, S5-ON, S4-QC; S26 not SARA listed; S62 Common Ottawa; S63 Rare near Stittsville
Rarity Ranks: QC S4 – Apparently Secure, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Hop sedge inhabits rich deciduous swamps, floodplains, marshy lakeshores, vernal pools, and wet meadows. In the Ottawa-Gatineau region it is common on both sides of the river, with herbarium specimens from Leamy Lake, the Ottawa River near the mouth of the Gatineau River, Marais de Touraine, and Aylmer. It grows in saturated muck or loam under partial canopy of Acer saccharinum, Fraxinus nigra, or in open marshes with Typha, Phalaris, and other wetland sedges.
S62 Common in Ottawa; S7 swamps, floodplains; S10 wet prairies, swamps; S48 specimen localities

Roles: Fire Retardant, Fortress/Barrier, Water Purifier
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [HIGH]: S11 Fire Resistant = Yes (definitional)] | Fortress/Barrier: S10 keyword match: prickl (supporting signal only)] | Water Purifier: S72 Hemenway (tables: 5-3, pp. 82)]
Notes: Hop sedge functions as a water purifier in wetland guild plantings. Its dense fibrous root system stabilizes saturated soils and filters runoff. Pairs well with other wetland species in rain gardens and bioswales. S3 notes tolerance of juglone, making it compatible with Juglans nigra. Fire resistant (S11), useful as a buffer species.
S72 water purifier; S3 juglone tolerant; S11 fire resistant

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No documented edible uses for humans. USDA rates human palatability as none. Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany Database has no food use records for this species.
S11 Palatable Human=No; S28 no uses