Carex echinata
Bristle fruit sedge
(c) Thomas Gyselinck, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Thomas Gyselinck · licence
Family: Cyperaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Carex echinata (Bristle fruit sedge) is a native California grass in the Cyperaceae family.
Bristle fruit sedge is a California native perennial sedge found in wet meadows, seeps, and riparian areas at elevations suitable for its growth. Flowering during the summer months, this sedge produces narrow spikelets 3 to 15.5 millimeters long with a slightly jagged outline. Growing with stems that have slightly blunt edges, it forms clusters with distinctive pistillate flower bracts that are brown with white margins. Its fruits are distinctive, spreading to reflexed, generally 2.9 to 4.75 millimeters long, ranging from green to brown with a tapered beak. The plant's fruit is particularly notable for having a lower wall filled with pithy tissue and a beak that is sparse-serrate.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated - no sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Fresno, San Bernardino, El Dorado, Trinity, Tulare, Nevada, Tuolumne, Humboldt, Plumas, Siskiyou, Mariposa, Del Norte, Sierra, Shasta, Tehama, Butte, Yuba
How to tell it apart
vs Juncus: Carex stems are triangular when rolled; Juncus stems are round and often hollow with partitions inside.; vs Cyperus: Carex has seeds in individual flasks; Cyperus has umbrella-like flower clusters with flattened ribbon-like spikes.; vs Plantago: Carex has triangular stems and brown/green spikelets; Plantago has round flower stalks and white/brown spike flowers.; vs Eleocharis: Carex has leaves along the stem; Eleocharis is nearly leafless with just one spikelet per stem.; vs Schoenoplectus: Carex has leafy stems and flask-enclosed seeds; Schoenoplectus has leafless round stems with exposed seeds.
Frequently asked questions
Is Carex echinata native to California?
Yes. Carex echinata is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Carex echinata grow?
Carex echinata occurs in Fresno, San Bernardino, El Dorado, Trinity, Tulare, Nevada, Tuolumne, Humboldt and other counties.
What plant family does Carex echinata belong to?
Carex echinata is in the Cyperaceae family, genus Carex.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.