Carex alma

Sturdy sedge, Sturdy Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sturdy sedge is a California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains, Tehachapi, San Joaquin Valley, southern Coastal Ranges, southern California, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, desert mountains, and Mojave Desert in springs and streambank habitats at elevations of 120 to 2,600 meters. This sedge produces distinctive white-margined pistillate flower bracts with awns in spikelets that are 2.5 to 15 centimeters long and 1 to 2 centimeters wide. Growing in dense, cespitose to rhizomatous clusters with stems forming tufted clumps, it develops leaves 3 to 6 millimeters wide that have red-dotted sheaths. Its leaves are characterized by occasionally cross-wrinkled surfaces and distinctive blade structures. The fruit is ovate, 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters long, with a gold to dark brown perigynia that has a serrate or ciliate beak.

Habitat: Springs, streambanks

Elevation: 120-2600 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, Teh, SnJV, SCoRO, SCo, TR, PR, DMtns, DMoj

California counties: San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Riverside, Kern, Fresno, Monterey, Tulare, Inyo, Orange, San Diego, Ventura, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Del Norte, Nevada, Santa Barbara, Tuolumne, Placer

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