This sedge is found in a variety of most soils, and can tolerate standing water for short periods of time. Unlike most sedges, it is not clump forming, but it will still create colonies with its runners. It produces flower heads in mid-summer, which tend to be an inch long and a reddish brown color. It is found with Asclepias incarnata, Carex vulpinoidea, and Eutrochium maculatum in wet prairies; Calmagrostis candendsis, and Carex pellita in sedge medows; and Carex hystericina, Chelone Glabra, and Lysimachia quadriflora in fens.