Carex stipata var. stipata
Awl-fruited sedge
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Cyperaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Carex stipata var. stipata (Awl-fruited sedge) is a native California grass in the Cyperaceae family, recognized by distinctive spongy angled stems.
Awl-fruited sedge is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, northern Sierra Nevada, and San Francisco Bay Area bioregions in wet places at elevations below 1,700 meters. Flowering time not specified, this sedge produces pale spikelets with indistinct clusters. Growing in dense tufts with deep-concave stems that are spongy when fresh, it forms clustered clumps with stems having sharp or winged angles. Its leaf blades are 5 to 11 millimeters wide, with sheath fronts marked by distinctive cross-wrinkles. The fruit features a spread perigynia 3.6 to 6 millimeters long, with a brown body that tapers to a poorly defined beak and contains pithy tissue in its lower wall.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 102 sympatric species; distinctive spongy angled stems
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet places
Elevation: < 1700 m
California counties: Tuolumne, Sonoma, Humboldt, Mariposa, Plumas, Placer, Lake, Trinity, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Sierra, Yuba, Butte, Sacramento, Mendocino, Amador
Outside California: North America, Japan
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 stipata var. stipata native to California?
Yes. Carex stipata var. stipata is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Carex stipata var. stipata grow?
Carex stipata var. stipata occurs in Tuolumne, Sonoma, Humboldt, Mariposa, Plumas, Placer, Lake, Trinity and other counties, at elevations of < 1700 m.
What plant family does Carex stipata var. stipata belong to?
Carex stipata var. stipata is in the Cyperaceae family, genus Carex.
What habitat does Carex stipata var. stipata grow in?
Carex stipata var. stipata grows in Wet places.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.