Carex luzulifolia

Little-leaved sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Little-leaved sedge is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, near Lassen Peak, and northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains in montane meadows at elevations of 1,900 to 3,100 meters. Producing dark purple spikelets 1 to 3 centimeters long, this sedge has distinctive lateral spikelets that are purple to dark brown and often nodding. Growing with dense, clustered stems 40 to 100 centimeters tall, it forms loose tufts with relatively wide leaf blades 5 to 20 millimeters across. Its leaves have inflorescence bracts with an expanded sheath featuring a wide purple band at the top, and pistillate flower bracts that are dark purple with narrow white margins. The fruit is short-stalked with a dark purple perigynia and a 1 to 2 millimeter beak, measuring 1.5 to 2.2 millimeters long.

Habitat: Montane meadows

Elevation: 1900-3100 m

Bioregions: KR, CaRH (near Lassen Peak), n SNH, c SNH (n Tuolumne Co.)

California counties: Alpine, El Dorado, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Mono, Tehama, Sierra, Tuolumne, Placer, Siskiyou, Trinity, Madera, Mariposa, Fresno

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