Carex hassei
Hasse's sedge
(c) Ed Alverson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ed Alverson · licence
Family: Cyperaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Carex hassei (Hasse's sedge) is a native California grass in the Cyperaceae family, recognized by translucent white-green perigynia and basal spikelets diagnostic.
Hasse's sedge is a California native perennial sedge found in northern coastal, Klamath Ranges, North Coast Ranges, California Ranges, Sierra Nevada, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, eastern Sierra Nevada, and Desert Mountains in springs, peatlands, fens, and moist meadows at elevations below 2,900 meters. Its lower spikes are 7 to 25 millimeters long, with reddish-brown to dark purple flower bracts. Growing with loosely clustered rhizomes and slender stems, this sedge produces leaf blades 2 to 4 millimeters wide. Its leaves have distinctive white-margined, red-brown to dark purple bracts with pistillate flowers bearing two to three stigmas. The fruit is a small lenticular perigynia 1.4 to 2 millimeters long, initially white to green with purple splotches, becoming pale green-white when dry.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 136 sympatric species; translucent white-green perigynia and basal spikelets diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Springs, peatland, fens, moist meadows, serpentine or not
Elevation: < 2900 m
California counties: Tehama, Humboldt, Marin, Modoc, Nevada, Santa Clara, Tulare, Tuolumne, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Inyo, Riverside, Ventura, Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Kern, Placer, Monterey, Amador, Sierra, Fresno, Lassen, Alpine, Plumas, Madera, Glenn, Mariposa, Trinity, Shasta, Mono, El Dorado, Lake, Colusa, Del Norte
Outside California: to British Columbia, Utah, Arizona
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 hassei native to California?
Yes. Carex hassei is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Carex hassei grow?
Carex hassei occurs in Tehama, Humboldt, Marin, Modoc, Nevada, Santa Clara, Tulare, Tuolumne and other counties, at elevations of < 2900 m.
What plant family does Carex hassei belong to?
Carex hassei is in the Cyperaceae family, genus Carex.
What habitat does Carex hassei grow in?
Carex hassei grows in Springs, peatland, fens, moist meadows, serpentine or not.
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.