Bulbostylis capillaris

Thread-leaved beakseed, Thread-Leaved Beakseed

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Thread-leaved beakseed is a California native perennial found in the northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, northern Sierra Nevada, and Sierra Nevada Highlands in open damp or dry sandy-gravelly soil at elevations of 300 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces small, delicate flowers in compact spikelets. Growing with fine, thread-like stems typically taller than its leaves, it forms slender and minimally branched clusters. Its leaves are exceptionally narrow, with blade width less than 0.5 millimeters, creating a wispy, hair-like appearance. The fruit is pale brown with transverse wavy ridges and sharp angles, crowned by a rounded tubercle.

Habitat: Open damp/dry sandy-gravelly soil

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 300-2200 m

Bioregions: CaRH, n SNF, SNH

California counties: Mariposa, Shasta, Tuolumne, Butte, Nevada, Sierra, Placer, Plumas, Tehama, Siskiyou, Alpine, Yolo, El Dorado

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.