Carex nudata

Torrent sedge, Torrent Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Torrent sedge is a California native perennial found in coastal, North Coast, Sierra Nevada, central western, and western Transverse Ranges bioregions in rocky or sandy streambeds below high-water mark at elevations up to 1,600 meters. Producing dense, raised clumps with stems 30 to 70 centimeters tall, this sedge grows in distinctive clusters not connected by underground rhizomes. Its leaf blades are 2 to 4 millimeters wide, with scabrous sheath backs featuring purple dots and prickles, creating a unique textural appearance. The leaves have purple-blotched sheaths with fibrous characteristics on lower portions, giving the plant a mottled and intricate visual texture. Its fruit is small, ranging 1.3 to 2 millimeters long, with green perigynia marked by purple splotches on the upper two-thirds.

Habitat: Rocky or sandy streambeds below high-water mark

Elevation: < 1600 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, NCoRI, NCoRO, CaRF, SNF, SNH, ScV, CW, WTR

California counties: Butte, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Shasta, Siskiyou, Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Tulare, Del Norte, Mariposa, Tehama, Placer, Trinity, Plumas, Solano, San Benito, Stanislaus, Sierra, Amador, Santa Barbara, Madera, Calaveras, Colusa, Merced, Glenn, Los Angeles, Tuolumne, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Yolo

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