Carex petasata

Liddon's sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Liddon's sedge is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Lassen County, and the Modoc Plateau in dry to wet meadows and open forest at elevations of 600 to 3,400 meters. Flowering from spring to summer, this sedge produces green, gold, and pale brown inflorescences with linear-oblong clusters 2.5 to 6 centimeters long. Growing with slender stems, it forms clumps with narrow leaves 2 to 5 millimeters wide. Its leaves have small ligules 2 to 5 millimeters long and distinctive narrow blades that create delicate, grass-like textures. The fruit develops as cream-white to brown perigynia with 5 to 8 visible veins, each 2.2 to 3 millimeters long with a green or gold-tipped beak.

Habitat: dry to wet meadows, open forest

Elevation: 600-3400 m

Bioregions: CaRH (Lassen Co.), n SNH (Alpine Co.), MP

California counties: Inyo, Modoc, Alpine, Lassen, Sierra, Plumas, Mono, Nevada, Tulare, Mariposa, Madera

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