Carex pendula

Pendulous sedge, Pendulous Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Pendulous sedge is a naturalized perennial found in Sacramento Valley and San Francisco Bay bioregions in moist forest and waterways at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering with green spikelets that nod gracefully, this sedge produces pendant inflorescences 3 to 20 centimeters long with red-brown to purple flower bracts. Growing impressively tall with stems 1 to 2 meters high, it forms dense cespitose clumps with reddish to purple stem bases. Its broad leaves measure 7 to 20 millimeters wide, spreading in rich green arching blades. The fruit is plump and elliptic, with green bodies streaked with brown and a tiny smooth beak.

Habitat: Moist forest, waterways

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: ScV, SnFrB

California counties: Butte, Marin, Alameda, San Mateo, Contra Costa

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