Carex tiogana

Tioga pass sedge, Tioga Pass Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Tioga pass sedge is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native sedge found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains in Mono and Tuolumne counties, occurring in coarse, wet, limey soil at subalpine to alpine elevations of 3,000 to 3,350 meters. Its leaves grow densely clustered and exceed the inflorescence, with narrow blades 1.5 to 3 millimeters wide that curve slightly like a sickle and have distinctively dense, coarse serrated margins. Growing in compact tufts with stems 1.8 to 14 centimeters tall, this sedge forms tight, distinctive clumps in harsh mountain environments. Its leaves have a unique texture, with midribs that are heavily serrated when viewed under magnification and blades that curve elegantly in the alpine landscape. Pistillate flower bracts are white with raised midribs, and the plant produces small, shiny brown fruits with delicate curved spines along the upper body margins.

Habitat: Coarse, wet, limey soil, subalpine to alpine

Elevation: 3000-3350 m

Bioregions: c SNH (Mono, Tuolumne cos. Co.)

California counties: Mono, Tuolumne

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