Carex harfordii
Harford's sedge, monterey sedge, Monterey Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Carex harfordii (Harford's sedge) is a native California grass in the Cyperaceae family, recognized by coastal habitat, leaning branched stems, and very dense dark inflorescence.
Harford's sedge is a California native perennial sedge found in northern coastal, central western, and Channel Islands bioregions in wet or seasonally wet shores, meadows, and open forests at elevations below 900 meters. Flowering in spring and early summer, this sedge produces dark brown to nearly black inflorescences dense and compact, with spikelets clustered tightly together. Growing with often leaning stems that occasionally branch late in the season, it reaches moderate height with flexible green to gold-centered leaf bracts. Its leaf blades are relatively narrow, typically 2 to 5 millimeters wide, with short ligules less than 2 millimeters long. The fruit is small and delicate, with perigynia that are shiny green to brown and slightly ascending, featuring thin walls and subtle green margins.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 80 sympatric species; coastal habitat, leaning branched stems, and very dense dark inflorescence
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet or seasonally wet shores, meadows, open forest
Elevation: < 900 m
California counties: Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Del Norte
Outside California: southern Oregon
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 harfordii native to California?
Yes. Carex harfordii is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Carex harfordii grow?
Carex harfordii occurs in Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo and other counties, at elevations of < 900 m.
What plant family does Carex harfordii belong to?
Carex harfordii is in the Cyperaceae family, genus Carex.
What habitat does Carex harfordii grow in?
Carex harfordii grows in Wet or seasonally wet shores, meadows, open forest.
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.