Carex canescens subsp. canescens
Silvery sedge, Silvery Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Silvery sedge is a California native perennial found in northern Coast Ranges, high Cascade Range, and northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains in wet, open places at elevations of 1,000 to 3,200 meters. Growing in dense tufts with stems 30 to 90 centimeters tall, this sedge has distinctively glaucous (bluish-gray) leaf blades 1.5 to 4 millimeters wide. Its inflorescence features 2 to 15 centimeters of spikelets in green to light brown colors, with typically less than 10 spikelets ranging from 3 to 12 millimeters long. The plant's leaves and fruit display subtle color variations, with pistillate flower bracts in white, occasionally gold or pale brown, and fruits in green to gold or silvery tones. Its compact, clustered growth habit and distinctive blue-gray foliage make this sedge a characteristic species of high-elevation wet meadows and stream edges.
Habitat: Wet, open places
Elevation: 1000-3200 m
Bioregions: NCoRO, CaRH, n&c SNH
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.