Schoenus crinitus is a species of sedge endemic to the Worcester region of the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

[1] The tendency of southern African Schoenus to form hybrids with each other might partially explain some of the difficulties in identifying them.

Phylogenetic and morphological evidence suggests that the closest relative to S. crinitus are species in the Epischoenus group.

[1][5] The genus Tetraria once included species from the southern African Schoenus; however, we now know that the two groups are evolutionary distinct based on morphological and molecular differences.

[7] Schoenus crinitus is known only from the mountain slopes of the Worcester region in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.