Carex purdiei is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to southern parts of Central America and northern parts of South America.
The plant has a tufted appearance with a short creeping rhizome and with slender stems that are in length and have a triangular cross-section. The pale green flattened leaves are found near the base of the plant and are about as long as the stems with a width of .
The species was first described by the botanist Francis Boott in 1858 as a part of the work Illustrations of the Genus Carex from the type specimen collected from a bog situated on Nevada de Santa Martha of Colombia by Purdie. It has one synonym;
The species is found in subtropical areas of Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia.