Carex brainerdii

Brainerd's sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Brainerd's sedge is a California native perennial sedge found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and northern Sierra Nevada in dry rocky areas and open forests at elevations of 600 to 2,800 meters. Growing in distinctive clumps connected by underground rhizomes, this sedge produces pale blue-green to gray-green leaves 1.5 to 3 millimeters wide with dark purple-red basal sheaths. Its stems reach 10 to 30 centimeters tall, forming compact clusters with characteristic staminate and pistillate spikelets that have green or red-banded flower bracts. The leaves have a unique papillate texture on their undersides and feature blades that extend beyond the bisexual inflorescence. Its fruits are barrel-shaped, typically tan or brown, measuring 2.1 to 2.5 millimeters long with hairy perigynia.

Habitat: dry rocky areas, open forest

Elevation: 600-2800 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, NCoRO, CaRH, n&ampc SNH, SCoRO (San Luis Obispo Co.)

California counties: Mendocino, Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Mariposa, Nevada, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Siskiyou, Sierra, El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Kern, Lake, Tulare, Madera, Lassen, Modoc, Del Norte, Napa

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