Calliscirpus brachythrix

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Calliscirpus brachythrix is a California native perennial sedge found in the Sierra Nevada in wet meadows, streambanks, and seepage slopes at elevations of 1,250 to 3,600 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces small spikelets 5 to 14 millimeters long with delicate flower bracts. Growing 20 to 85 centimeters tall with slender, clustered stems, it forms dense tufts in moist mountain habitats. Its leaves are narrow and grass-like, measuring 1 to 5 millimeters wide and extending up to 85 centimeters in length. The plant features distinctive perianth bristles 4 to 10 millimeters long with short, sparse barbs.

Habitat: Wet meadows, streambanks, seepage slopes, generally on acidic substrates

Bloom period: July-Aug

Elevation: 1250-3600 m

Bioregions: SNH.

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