Cyperus laevigatus

Smooth cyperus

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Smooth cyperus is a California native perennial found in southwestern, Great Basin, and desert bioregions in alkaline or brackish wet soils, hot springs, and permanent pools in arroyos at elevations of 30 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from July to December, this plant produces flowers with white bracts speckled or marked with distinctive red spots. Growing in clumps with horizontal rhizomes, it forms delicate stems reaching up to 60 centimeters tall. Its leaf blades are sparse, measuring up to 7 centimeters long, with subtle inflorescence bracts extending 1 to 10 centimeters. The fruit is a small, dark brown to nearly black oblong-elliptic seed approximately 1.2 to 1.8 millimeters long.

Habitat: Alkaline or brackish, wet soils, hot springs, permanent pools in arroyos

Bloom period: Jul-Dec

Elevation: 30-1000 m

Bioregions: SW, GB, D

California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Orange, Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara

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