Carex echinata is a tussock-forming, grasslike plant in the family Cyperaceae.

It has a solid, ridged stem that may exceed 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in height with a few thready leaves toward the base.

It is infected by the fungal species Anthracoidea karii.

[2] This plant is native to North and Central America and parts of Eurasia; as of 2016, it had spread as far as Taiwan.

[3] Carex echinata is a plant of wet forests, marshes, and mountain meadows of moderate elevation.