Carex ornithopoda can also vegetatively be distinguished from the similar Carex digitata, because the leaf sheaths of Carex ornithopoda are dark brown (see Fig. 5, 12, 18), while those of Carex digitata are dark red. The leaves of Carex ornithopoda have three doglegs in the cross section (see Fig. 4, 16, 17) resp. at least the two halves are curved again (see Fig. 10), while those of Carex digitata hve only one dogleg.