This mysterious species occurs in scattered disjunct localities on the Interior Low Plateaus, Appalachian Plateaus and the adjacent Coastal Plain (Ind., Ky., Tenn., Miss. & Ala.). It is one of the few dioecious sedges (Delph et al. 1993), and its clones tend to spread centrifugally, forming distinct dead-centered patches ("doughnuts"). C. picta burns well and then resprouts vigorously (D. Taylor, pers. comm.); its distribution may partly reflect the historical patterns of fire.