Carex mertensii

Mertens' sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Mertens' sedge is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges in wet open areas at elevations around 1,500 meters. Flowering with delicate spikelets arranged in clusters up to 2 centimeters long, this sedge produces inflorescences with pistillate flower bracts in dark brown to dark purple tones. Growing in dense tufts with stems 30 to 120 centimeters tall, it forms thick clumps in moist habitats. Its leaves are relatively narrow, with blade width ranging from 4 to 7 millimeters, and the lowest leaves have distinctive vestigial staminate flowers. The fruit is small and compact, with a green perigynia subtly dotted with purple and a short beak.

Habitat: Wet open areas

Elevation: +- 1500 m.

Bioregions: KR

California counties: Siskiyou, Trinity, Del Norte

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