Distribution: Florida to South America, Africa

Habitat: Widespread in many habitats, weedy; may be in salty places or on beaches; often on dry sandy sites, temporary pools, and disturbed areas

Recognition: Three feet tall; leaves tough, glaucous, serrate.   Spikes chestnut brown, crowded. (For seaside specimens, see also the similar and maritime C. planifolius

1. Spikelets 3-7 mm long; spikes usually < 1.5 cm in diameter.…C.  ligularis (Spikelets becoming brownish vs. remaining green in C. retorsus) 

1. Spikelets 6-22 mm long; spikes > 1.5 cm in diameter.…C. planifolius  (Achene 1.3-2 mm)

Florida status: Native, one of the most conspicuous and often encountered large sedges