Wet or less commonly upland forests, borders of ponds in forests, moist thickets and banks, moist meadows and swales.

The graceful, spreading tussocks of fine foliage are a characteristic feature of many swamps, especially in southern Michigan, and make this recognizable virtually any time there is no snow on the ground. The pistillate scales are frequently tinged with orange, and the leaves are narrower than in C. deweyana.

Carex bromoides can be hard to key because the distribution of male and female flowes in the inflorescences can be erratic; some being essentially unisexual.