This perennial sedge grows in dense bunches. Early plants are upright (B) but they often nod or spread as they mature (C,D). Leaf blades are very narrow, no more than 1/8 inch wide. Flowering stems from 6-20 inches tall bear 3-9 spikes, widely separated below but often overlapping above. Spikes are all alike containing central male flowers at the tip and only 5-14 peripheral female flowers (F). At maturity the perigynia spread out forming star-shaped structures, as the common name suggests (A,F).
Wooded lowlands, moist upland woods and ravines. In Fontenelle Forest, Stellate Sedge is uncommon in lower Mormon Hollow. At Neale Woods it is common on the north facing slopes of Paw Paw and Columbine Trails. Flowering occurs in very late April or early May. Well developed perigynia are present by mid-May and may persist into June.
Bur-reed Sedge (Carex sparganioides) has widely spaced spikes and occupies similar habitats, but mature perigynia do not have the characteristic star-shaped or circular arrangement. Its leaves are also much broader.
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