Carex divulsa subsp. divulsa

Gray sedge, Gray Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Gray sedge is a naturalized perennial found in the Santa Clara Valley and Central Coast bioregions along watercourses and roadsides at elevations below 200 meters. The plant forms dense tufted clusters with leaf blades 2 to 3.5 millimeters wide. Growing in open arrangements with 6 to 10 millimeter wide inflorescences containing 4 to 8 spikelets, this sedge produces pistillate flower bracts that are white to light green with acuminate tips. Its distinctive fruit ranges 1.9 to 2.5 millimeters long, with perigynia that are green to pale brown and eventually darken to black with spreading orientation. The perigynia have characteristic abaxial veins and develop a short 0.7 to 1.5 millimeter beak with serrated edges.

Habitat: Watercourses, roadsides

Elevation: < 200 m

Bioregions: ScV, CCo

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