Cyperus fuscus

Brown flatsedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Brown flatsedge is a naturalized annual sedge found in the Central Valley in damp disturbed soil, receding shorelines, and puddles at elevations below 50 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces yellow to purple-brown flowers in small spherical heads with 3 to 15 narrow-elliptic spikelets 3 to 7 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 2 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms delicate, open inflorescences with 2 to 3 spreading rays. Its flower bracts are round, approximately 1 millimeter long, with three prominent midveins and no lateral veins. The tiny ellipsoid fruit is light brown, 0.7 to 1 millimeter long, with a wedge-shaped base and acute tip.

Habitat: Damp disturbed soil, receding shorelines, puddles

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: < 50 m

Bioregions: GV

California counties: Glenn, Butte, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Sonoma, Alameda, Tehama, Monterey, Sacramento

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