Carex praticola
Northern meadow sedge, Northern Meadow Sedge
(c) Jason Grant, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jason Grant · licence
Family: Cyperaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2
Carex praticola (Northern meadow sedge) is a native California grass in the Cyperaceae family, recognized by open flexed inflorescence and translucent perigynia walls.
Northern meadow sedge is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in northern coastal California, including Humboldt County, and central Sierra Nevada Mountains in moist to wet meadows, riparian edges, and open forests at elevations of 500 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from late spring to summer, this sedge produces inflorescences that are white, green, gold, or dark brown, with spikelets 25 to 50 millimeters long and often bent at the lowest node. Growing with slender stems 25 to 80 centimeters tall, it forms delicate clumps with narrow leaf blades 1.5 to 4 millimeters wide. Its leaves have a distinctive short ligule less than 2.5 millimeters long, with spikelets that are oblanceolate to wide-ovate and often long-tapered at the base. The fruit is characterized by cream-white, green, or gold perigynia with translucent walls, typically 4.5 to 6.5 millimeters long and narrowing to a short brown beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 113 sympatric species; key features are open flexed inflorescence and translucent perigynia walls
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist to wet meadows, riparian edges, open forest
Elevation: (20)500-3200 m
California counties: Humboldt, Marin, Del Norte, Lake, Tuolumne, Tehama, Mono, Trinity, Siskiyou, Tulare, El Dorado
Outside California: Rocky Mountains, northern North America
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.2
How to tell it apart
vs Juncus: Carex stems are triangular when rolled; Juncus stems are round and often hollow with partitions inside.; vs Cyperus: Carex has seeds in individual flasks; Cyperus has umbrella-like flower clusters with flattened ribbon-like spikes.; vs Plantago: Carex has triangular stems and brown/green spikelets; Plantago has round flower stalks and white/brown spike flowers.; vs Eleocharis: Carex has leaves along the stem; Eleocharis is nearly leafless with just one spikelet per stem.; vs Schoenoplectus: Carex has leafy stems and flask-enclosed seeds; Schoenoplectus has leafless round stems with exposed seeds.
Frequently asked questions
Is Carex praticola native to California?
Yes. Carex praticola is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Carex praticola grow?
Carex praticola occurs in Humboldt, Marin, Del Norte, Lake, Tuolumne, Tehama, Mono, Trinity and other counties, at elevations of (20)500-3200 m.
What plant family does Carex praticola belong to?
Carex praticola is in the Cyperaceae family, genus Carex.
Is Carex praticola rare or endangered?
Carex praticola carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.2, state rank S2.
What habitat does Carex praticola grow in?
Carex praticola grows in Moist to wet meadows, riparian edges, open forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.