Carex deflexa var. boottii

Mountain mat sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Mountain mat sedge is a native perennial sedge found in northwestern California, the high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, Modoc Plateau, White and Inyo Mountains, and desert mountains in dry forest, meadows, and rocky subalpine slopes at elevations up to 3,800 meters. Growing with loosely clustered stems 3 to 30 centimeters tall that spread or arch and have a slightly fibrous base, this sedge has pale green leaves less than 3.2 millimeters wide. Its leaves are stiff and somewhat flat, typically matching or slightly exceeding the height of the plant's inflorescence. The leaf blades emerge in a pale green color, with stems that can be glabrous or slightly rough near the base of the inflorescence. Its delicate structure includes pale to dark red-brown flower bracts without an awn, creating a subtle, mat-like appearance characteristic of its alpine and subalpine habitats.

Habitat: dry forest, meadows, rocky subalpine slopes

Elevation: < 3800 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRH, SNH, SnGb, SnBr, MP, W&ampI, DMtns

California counties: El Dorado, Siskiyou, Alpine, Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Plumas, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Tuolumne, Inyo, Placer, Trinity, Nevada, Tehama, Riverside, Humboldt, San Bernardino, Shasta, Lassen

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