Cyperus involucratus

Umbrella plant

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Umbrella plant is a naturalized perennial found in southern California coastal regions in ditches and shoreline habitats at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering throughout the entire year, this plant produces light brown flowers in stellate clusters 15 to 30 millimeters wide with distinctive umbrella-like inflorescence bracts. Growing 1 to 2 meters tall with 1 to 20 approximately three-angled stems, it forms dramatic architectural clusters. Its inflorescence bracts are especially prominent, extending 14 to 22 rays with spikelets 5 to 15 millimeters long that create a dramatic radial structure. The tiny fruits are finely pitted and approximately 0.6 to 0.8 millimeters long.

Habitat: Ditches, shores

Bloom period: All year

Elevation: < 200 m

Bioregions: SCo

California counties: San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, Alameda, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Imperial, San Luis Obispo, Del Norte, Lake, Kern, Butte, Santa Cruz, Contra Costa, Sacramento, Marin, Monterey

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