Cyperus esculentus var. leptostachyus

Yellow nutsedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Yellow nutsedge is a native perennial found in California's agricultural and disturbed landscapes at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering during summer, this sedge produces small spreading spikelets with delicate lance-ovate flower bracts 1.8 to 2.7 millimeters long. Growing 30 to 40 centimeters tall with slender, upright stems, it forms dense clumps in open ground. Its leaves are narrow and grass-like, emerging from a complex underground system of tubers and rhizomes. The tiny fruits are approximately 1.2 millimeters long, contributing to the plant's ability to spread rapidly in disturbed environments.

Habitat: Cropland, disturbed places

Bloom period: Summer

Elevation: < 1200 m

Bioregions: CA

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