Bunched perennial with sharply triangular, firm flowering stems 1-3 feet tall, often forming dense clumps in wet places. Elongated, dense flower spikes are compound, each side branch consisting of a number of small, separate spikelets (D,E). Spikelets are all alike, the inconspicuous male flowers with whitish anthers above and green females with their pale whitish stigmas below (E). Narrow bracts associated with the spikes often give the head a bristly appearance (A). Narrow, pale green leaves have tight greenish-white sheaths with cross-wrinkled undersides and convex upper margins (H). perigynia are small and turn brown at maturity (F,G).
Pond and stream edges, wet meadows, marshes, ditches. Fox Sedge is uncommon in Fontenelle Forest along the Gifford Memorial boardwalk. At Neale Woods it is uncommon at the edge of the pond in Jonas Valley. Flowering occurs in early June. The perigynia are initially green, but by late June they turn a rich brown, persisting well into July.
Sawbeak Sedge (Carex stipata) and similarly named Soft Fox Sedge (Carex conjuncta) have soft, easily compressible and easily bent stems that are very different from Fox Sedge. Individual perigynia are also much larger.
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