| Author | (L.) Kunth ex C.B. Clarke | |
| Distribution | Throughout the state, but scarce on the Outer Banks and in tidewater counties, and not at higher elevations in the mountains.
Most of the lower 48 states, south to Central America and the West Indies. | |
| Abundance | Fairly common to common, at least locally, in the mountains and Piedmont, less numerous in the Coastal Plain and Sandhills. Populations often widely separated. | |
| Habitat | Dry to xeric sandy soil of roadsides, old fields, forest clearings, powerlines, sandhills; also granitic flatrocks, domes, and other types of rock outcrops. Always in full sun and in thin soil. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting July-October. | |
| Identification | These are short plants (up to a foot tall, but usually half that) in dense tufts of many filiform (very slender, threadlike) stems, each stem topped by a small inflorescence of tiny spikelets. Achene (seed) surfaces have narrow transverse ridges, versus. tiny bumps in B. ciliata and B. coarctata. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
Hairsedges, genus Bulbostylis, are small tufted plants with skinny culms (flowering stems) and leaves; so skinny as to appear wiry or threadlike. The inflorescence is branched and open, or compact. Each spikelet is composed of several to many tiny florets. Key ID features to note include size and ornamentation of seeds and whether plants are annual or perennial. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | Common Hairsedge | |
| State Rank | S4 [S5] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FAC link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
