Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Carex microptera is a species of sedge known by the common name smallwing sedge. It is native to western North America, including most all of western Canada and the western United States. It occurs in moist mountain habitat such as meadows and riverbanks. This sedge produces dense clumps of erect stems over 20 centimeters tall and up to about a meter in height. The flower cluster is a dense cluster of green or brown spikes packed tightly and indistinct from each other.

Plant type

Grass

Size

8 - 24 in Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Slow

Calscape icon
Color

Green, Brown

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Containers

Sun

Partial Shade

Soil description

Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.

Site type

Meadows

Plant communities

Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 8 likely

Confirmed Likely

American Ear Moth

Amphipoea americana

Common Ringlet

Coenonympha tullia

Olive Green Cutworm Moth

Dargida procinctus

Dun Skipper

Euphyes vestris