Carex hoodii
Hood's sedge
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Cyperaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Carex hoodii (Hood's sedge) is a native California grass in the Cyperaceae family, recognized by . Key features include dense head, copper-brown color, and spreading veinless perigynia.
Hood's sedge is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, North American Great Basin, and White and Inyo Mountains on rocky or gravelly slopes and meadow edges at elevations of 650 to 3,600 meters. Its inflorescence features dense clusters 0.8 to 2 centimeters long with 4 to 8 spikelets, characterized by red-brown pistillate flower bracts with green midribs and white margins. Growing in tufted clusters with leaf blades 1.5 to 3.5 millimeters wide, this sedge develops compact, clustered stems. Its distinctive leaves are narrow and form dense, clustered mats with copper-brown perigynia spreading 3.4 to 5 millimeters long. The fruit is small, measuring 1.7 to 2.1 millimeters with a short, slightly notched beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 124 sympatric species. Key features include dense head, copper-brown color, and spreading veinless perigynia.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky or gravelly slopes, meadow edges
Elevation: 650-3600 m
California counties: Butte, El Dorado, Glenn, Plumas, Alpine, Fresno, Humboldt, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino, Shasta, Modoc, Madera, Tehama, Mariposa, Colusa, Lassen, Sierra, Kern, Lake, Del Norte
Outside California: to western Canada, South Dakota, Colorado
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 hoodii native to California?
Yes. Carex hoodii is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Carex hoodii grow?
Carex hoodii occurs in Butte, El Dorado, Glenn, Plumas, Alpine, Fresno, Humboldt, Mono and other counties, at elevations of 650-3600 m.
What plant family does Carex hoodii belong to?
Carex hoodii is in the Cyperaceae family, genus Carex.
What habitat does Carex hoodii grow in?
Carex hoodii grows in Rocky or gravelly slopes, meadow edges.
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.