Carex incurviformis

Mount dana or incurved sedge, Mount Dana Or Incurved Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Mount dana sedge is a rare (CNPS 4.3) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada and White and Inyo Mountains in alpine zones on open, dry gravelly or rocky slopes at elevations of 3,700 to 4,000 meters. Growing with an extremely short stems less than 6 centimeters tall, this sedge forms long, wavy rhizomes that spread across rocky alpine terrain. Its narrow leaves are less than 1.5 millimeters wide and extend beyond the plant's dense, compact inflorescence. The inflorescence features 5 to 8 tightly clustered spikelets with pistillate flower bracts that are acuminate and brown with white margins. The fruit is small, approximately 1.4 to 1.7 millimeters long, with shiny brown perigynia that have numerous veins on both sides.

Habitat: Open, dry gravelly or rocky slopes, alpine

Elevation: 3700-4000 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, W&ampI

California counties: Inyo, Mono, Tulare, Tuolumne, Fresno, Mariposa

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