Carex diandra

Lesser tussock sedge, Lesser Tussock Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Lesser tussock sedge is a California native perennial sedge found in the Klamath Ranges, California High Cascades, Sierra Nevada Mountains, and Modoc Plateau in marshy meadows and peaty lake shores at elevations of 150 to 2,400 meters. Its inflorescences are compact and stiff, typically 2 to 5 centimeters long and less than 1.5 centimeters wide, with reddish-dotted leaf sheaths and white sheath margins. Growing in dense tufts with slender stems, this sedge produces narrow leaves 1 to 3 millimeters wide and short ligules less than twice as long as they are wide. Its leaf sheaths feature distinctive red dots, and the plant forms tight, clustered growth with multiple spikelets at lower nodes. The fruit is small, brown, and shiny, with a pale central groove and a white abaxial flap at the tip of its short beak.

Habitat: Marshy meadows, peaty lake shores

Elevation: 150-2400 m

Bioregions: KR, CaRH, SNH, MP

California counties: El Dorado, Mono, Nevada, Modoc, San Bernardino, Tulare, Plumas, Tuolumne, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Shasta, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside

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