Cyperus retrofractus is a species of sedge that is native to eastern parts of the United States.
Cyperus retrofractus was first described as Scirpus retrofractus by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The American botanist John Torrey moved the species to genus Cyperus in 1843. Torrey referred to the species as the bent-flowered galingale. , the botanical name Cyperus retrofractus is widely accepted.