Carex rossii

Ross' sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Ross' sedge is a California native perennial sedge found in northwestern California, high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, Modoc Plateau, White and Inyo Mountains, and Desert Mountains in dry forest and meadow habitats at elevations up to 3,800 meters. Flowering from late spring to summer, this sedge forms delicate green to gray-green tufts with thin, stiff leaves. Growing 7 to 40 centimeters tall with ascending stems that are slightly rough along their edges, it develops in dense to loose clumps from stout underground rhizomes. Its leaves are narrow, measuring 0.8 to 4 millimeters wide, with a stiff texture that stands upright or slightly flat. The plant produces small pistillate spikelets with green or reddish-tinged bracts, creating subtle clusters characteristic of sedge species.

Habitat: dry forest, meadows

Elevation: < 3800 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRH, SNH, SnGb, SnBr, MP, W&ampI, DMtns

California counties: San Bernardino, Tulare, Humboldt, Mono, Los Angeles, Kern, Inyo, Fresno, Plumas, Shasta, Glenn, Siskiyou, Tuolumne, Riverside, Nevada, Modoc, Madera, El Dorado, Trinity, Tehama, Sierra, Mariposa, Butte, Placer, Lassen, Alpine, Del Norte, Amador, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, 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.