Carex helleri

Heller's sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Heller's sedge is a California native perennial sedge found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Sierra Nevada Eastern edge, and White and Inyo Mountains in dry, rocky or gravelly slopes at elevations of 2,400 to 4,100 meters. Growing in dense tufts with stems 5 to 40 centimeters tall, this sedge develops narrow leaf blades 2 to 3.5 millimeters wide. Its inflorescence forms a compact, head-like cluster with terminal spikelets that are predominantly pistillate, featuring reddish-brown to purple bracts with acuminate tips. The plant produces distinctive fruits approximately 1.4 to 1.8 millimeters long, characterized by elliptic to obovate perigynia that are generally red-brown to purple, with a small beak 0.2 to 0.5 millimeters long. Its tightly clustered growth habit and narrow leaves make this sedge well-adapted to high-elevation, rocky mountain environments.

Habitat: Dry, rocky or gravelly slopes

Elevation: 2400-4100 m

Bioregions: CaRH, SNH, SNE (Sweetwater Mtns), W&ampI

California counties: Fresno, Mono, Tulare, Inyo, Alpine, Madera, Tuolumne, Shasta, Placer, El Dorado, Nevada, Amador, Tehama, Mariposa

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