Carex heteroneura is a species of sedge known by the common name different-nerve sedge. It is native to western Canada and the western United States, where it grows in moist mountain habitat such as forests and meadows. This sedge produces clumps of stems up to a meter-3 feet tall, often much shorter. The plant is variable in appearance, including in the appearance of its identifying characters, such as the scales on the flowers and the perigynia on the fruits. In general the spikes are oblong or cylindrical and dense with bicolored spikelets. The perigynium is greenish or purplish and has a short, rounded tip. This sedge produces clumps of stems up to a meter-3 feet tall, often much shorter. The plant is variable in appearance, including in the appearance of its identifying characters, such as the scales on the flowers and the perigynia on the fruits. In general the spikes are oblong or cylindrical and dense with bicolored spikelets. The perigynium is greenish or purplish and has a short, rounded tip.

Carex hoodii is a species of sedge known by the common name Hood's sedge. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to South Dakota, where it grows in dry to moist habitat in forests and on mountain slopes. This sedge produces clumps of very thin stems up to about 80 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are narrow and coated at the bases in a tight, green sheath. The flower cluster is a dense cluster of spikelets 1 to 2 centimeters long. The flowers have reddish scales with light edges. The fruit is coated in a perigynium which is brown in the center and green around the edges, and may have a notched tip.

Carex hystericina is a species of sedge known by the common names bottlebrush sedge and porcupine sedge. It is native to much of North America including most of southern Canada and most of the United States. It grows in wet habitat such as wetlands and riverbanks, especially on calcareous soils. In the right conditions it can become very abundant and even weedy. This sedge produces dense or loose clumps of triangular stems up to a meter tall from short rhizomes. The flower cluster is several centimeters long and is accompanied by a leaf which is longer than the spikes. The fruits are coated in perigynia with pointed, toothed tips. It is highly recommend for sedge meadow restorations.

Carex illota is a species of sedge known by the common name sheep sedge. It is native to western North America, where it grows in wet places such as marshes and mountain meadows, from New Mexico and California north to Western Canada. This sedge produces dense clumps of stems up to about 38 centimeters in maximum height. There are a few leaves for each stem, growing up to 18 centimeters long. The nodding inflorescence is a dense dark brown cluster of spikes about a centimeter long. This sedge produces dense clumps of stems up to about 38 centimeters in maximum height. There are a few leaves for each stem, growing up to 18 centimeters long. The nodding inflorescence is a dense dark brown cluster of spikes about a centimeter long.

Carex inops is a species of sedge known by the common name long-stolon sedge. It is native to northern North America, where it occurs throughout the southern half of Canada and the western and central United States. There are two subspecies; ssp. inops is limited to the west coast from British Columbia to California, while ssp. heliophila (sun sedge), is more widespread and is more common east of the Rocky Mountains. This sedge produces a loose clump of stems up to 50 centimeters tall. The stiff, narrow leaves persist, with dead ones remaining around the base of the plant. The inflorescence usually has pistillate spikes below staminate spikes. The plant grows from rhizomes and fibrous roots; despite its common name, it does not usually form stolons.

Long Stolon Sedge (Carex inops ssp. inops) is a rare native grass that grows in Northern California, primarily in the High Cascade Range region. It tends to grow in dry and rocky places, at elevations from 3300-6600 feet.

Carex interior is a species of sedge known by the common name inland sedge. It is native to much of North America from Alaska to northern Mexico to the mid-Atlantic United States. It grows in wet habitat, most often in calcareous soils. This sedge produces clumps of stems approaching a meter in maximum height, with a few leaves at each stem. The flower cluster is an open array of star-shaped spikes of flowers covered with gold scales. The fruit is coated in a toothed, red-tipped perigynium.

Carex jonesii is a species of sedge known by the common name Jones' sedge. This sedge is native to the Western United States from California to Montana to Colorado, where it grows in moist areas, especially in subalpine mountain habitat. This sedge is native to the Western United States from California to Montana to Colorado, where it grows in moist areas, especially in subalpine mountain habitat. Carex jonesii produces clumps of stems up to about 60 centimeters tall, surrounded by scraps of the previous year's herbage tangled with tufts of new leaves. The dense inflorescence is one or two centimeters long, containing tangles of gold and black scaled flowers.

Carex klamathensis is a rare species of sedge known by the common name Klamath sedge. It is known from 15 or fewer populations in southern Oregon and three populations in the Klamath Region of northern California. It was described to science only in 2007. Its habitat includes fens and other wet habitat, on serpentine soils. This sedge grows from a long rhizome bearing clumps of stems. The leaves are glaucous, 2-6 mm wide, with papillae between and sometimes over the veins. The inflorescence consists of 2-3(-5) spikelets. The terminal spikelet is usually staminate, occasionally androgynous, gynecandrous, or pistillate. Staminate terminal spikes are 1. 3-2. 7 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, with 40-190 flowers. Lateral spikelets are pistillate, (0. 6-)1. 5-2. 5 cm long, 4-7 mm wide, the uppermost usually 1. 5-6 cm or more below the terminal spike, but sometimes attached as close as 0. 3 cm below the terminal spike. Pistillate flower bracts are reddish brown, dark brown, or rarely gold, the midrib and surrounding area green, white, or light brown, the edges sometimes pale, 1. 9-2. 8 mm long excluding awn.

Smoothstem Sedge (Carex laeviculmis) is a native grass that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow in moist area, at elevations from 2300-6000 feet.

Carex lasiocarpa is a species of sedge known by the common names slender sedge and woollyfruit sedge. This is an aquatic or shore plant of wet areas in mountainous areas of moderate elevation. It is found across much of North America and Eurasia. It is colonial, forming thick, floating mats on the water in wetlands and monotypic stands on shorelines and lakesides. From a rhizome it bears erect stems which may exceed a meter in height and very long, very thin leaves. The stem has one to several compact pistillate spikes and at the tip one longer, fluffy staminate spike. The pistillate spike vaguely resembles a tiny purplish or brownish ear of corn, with several ovaries which each form a fruit.

Lemmon's Sedge (Carex lemmonii) is a native grass that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in wet meadows and bogs, at elevations from 2300-10000 feet.

Carex lenticularis is a species of sedge known by the common name lakeshore sedge. It is native to much of northern North America, including most all of Canada and the western United States, where it grows in wet habitat. This sedge produces clumps of slender, greenish yellow, angled stems. The flower cluster bears erect spikes with a long leaf exceeding the length of the spikes. The fruit is covered in a green, sometimes purple-dotted perigynium beneath a brown or black flower scale.

Kellogg's Sedge (Carex lenticularis var. lipocarpa) is a native grass that grows in northern, southern and central California. It is moderately fast growing and long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 3 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are green and bloom in the late spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in wet places, at elevations from 1000-11200 feet.

Carex ovalis is a species of sedge known by the common name eggleaf sedge. It is native to Eurasia and eastern and western North America, where it grows in seasonally wet habitat, such as meadows and fields. This sedge produces many thin stems and narrow leaves. The flower cluster is an open cluster of several flower spikes. The pistillate flower has a reddish or brownish leaf with a gold center and white tip.

Carex leptalea is a species of sedge known by the common names bristly-stalked sedge and flaccid sedge. It is native to much of North America including most of Canada, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. It only grows in wetlands. This sedge produces dense clusters of thin stems up to 70 centimeters tall from a network of branching rhizomes. The thin, deep green leaves are soft, hairless, and sometimes drooping. The inflorescence is up to 16 millimeters long but only 2 to 3 millimeters wide, and is yellow-green in color. There are only a few perigynia on each spikelet, and they are green and veined.

Shorter Scaled Sedge (Carex deweyana ssp. leptopoda) is a native grass that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in most places, at elevations from 0-8000 feet.

Carex limosa is a species of sedge known by the common names bog-sedge, mud sedge and shore sedge. This sedge is an aquatic or shore plant which can most often be found in peat bogs in mountains. It is widely distributed across North America and northern Eurasia. Carex limosa has a large rhizome and hairy roots. It produces a stem which is generally just under half a meter in height and has a few basal leaves which are long and threadlike. The tip of the stem is often occupied by a staminate spikelet, and below this hang one or more nodding pistillate spikelets. Some spikelets may have both male and female parts, however. Each fruit is a few millimeters long and spade-shaped.

Carex livida is a species of sedge known by the common names livid sedge and pale sedge. It has a scattered, interrupted circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout much of Eurasia and northern North America. It also occurs in Panama and South America. It is extirpated in California. This sedge forms small clumps of stems up to 50 to 55 centimeters tall. The stiff, leathery leaves are a pale, waxy blue-gray and have channels on their surfaces. The inflorescence contains separate pistillate and staminate spikes. The plant spreads mostly by sprouting from its rhizome, but it also produces seed.

Carex lyngbyei is a species of sedge known by the common name Lyngbye's sedge. It is native to the west coast of North America from Alaska to California, where it "is the common sedge of the Pacific coastal salt marshes." It is also known from Greenland and Iceland. It grows in habitat with brackish water, such as salt marshes. This sedge produces stems 25 centimeters to well over one meter tall from a network of long rhizomes. The leaves have reddish brown sheaths which do not have spots. The flower cluster produces stiff, nodding spikes on peduncles. The fruit is coated in a leathery yellowish brown sac called a perigynium. This is a pioneer species, one of the first plants to colonize the mud of tidal flats in its range.

Carex mariposana is a species of sedge known by the common name Mariposa sedge. This sedge is native to the Sierra Nevada of California and far western Nevada, where it grows in moist areas such as meadows. This sedge is native to the Sierra Nevada of California and far western Nevada, where it grows in moist areas such as meadows. Carex mariposana produces dense clumps of stems up to about 90 centimeters in maximum height and narrow leaves up to about 30 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a dense or open cluster of gold, brown, or reddish spikes. The fruit is covered with a sac called a perigynium which is generally greenish or coppery brown, veined, and winged.

Carex mertensii is a species of sedge known by the common name Mertens' sedge. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Montana, where it grows in moist and wet habitat in mountain forests and meadows. This sedge produces clumps of stems reaching maximum heights between 80 and 120 centimeters. The leaves are small; those toward the bases of the stems are reduced to sheaths only. The flower cluster is a densely packed, bullet shaped cluster of overlapping flowers, mainly hanging on long peduncles. Each flower cluster is generally 2 to 4 centimeters long. Each of the flowers has a dark-colored leaf.

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.

Carex multicaulis is a species of sedge known by the common name manystem sedge. It is native to California, western Nevada, and southern Oregon, where it grows in chaparral and open forest montane habitats. This reedlike sedge produces clumps of narrow stems up to 50 or 60 centimeters tall, with short, folded or rolled leaves. The inflorescence is a narrow cluster of spike-shaped staminate flowers above a cluster of more rounded pistillate flowers. This reedlike sedge produces clumps of narrow stems up to 50 or 60 centimeters tall, with short, folded or rolled leaves. The inflorescence is a narrow cluster of spike-shaped staminate flowers above a cluster of more rounded pistillate flowers.

Carex multicostata is a species of sedge known by the common name manyrib sedge. This sedge is native to the western United States from California to Montana, where it grows mainly in dry areas in mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges. This sedge is native to the western United States from California to Montana, where it grows mainly in dry areas in mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges. Carex multicostata produces a dense clump of stems up to about a meter in maximum height. The inflorescence is roughly triangular in shape and brown or gold in color, a dense cluster of overlapping spikes. The female flower has a covering bract which is reddish with white edges.

Carex nebrascensis is a species of sedge known by the common name Nebraska sedge. It is native to the western and central United States and into central Canada, where it grows in wetlands. It tolerates alkaline soils and submersion for long periods of time. This sedge produces upright, angled, spongy stems up to about 90 centimeters tall. The waxy, bluish leaves form tufts around the base of each stem. The root system is a very dense network of rhizomes. The flower cluster includes a few narrow staminate spikes above some wider pistillate spikes on short peduncles. The fruit is covered in a tough, slightly inflated sac called a perigynium which sometimes has a pattern of red spotting. Uses for this sedge include forage for livestock and wild animals, wetland restoration, control of erosion and soil compaction, and natural wetland wastewater treatment.

Carex nervina is a species of sedge known by the common name Sierra sedge. It is native to California and adjacent parts of Oregon and Nevada, where it grows mainly in mountain meadows. It forms thick clumps of spongy, winged stems up to about 70 centimeters tall. The flower cluster is a dense cluster of a few compact spikes up to 3 centimeters long. The fruit is coated in a shiny green or brown toothed perigynium.

Carex neurophora is a species of sedge known by the common name alpine nerve sedge. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in wet mountain habitat such as meadows and streambanks. This sedge produces stems up to about 60 centimeters tall and inflorescences which are dense, oblong clusters of indistinguishable spikes of flowers.

Carex nigricans is a species of sedge known by the common name black alpine sedge. It is native to western North America from Alaska to northern California to Colorado, where it grows in wet areas in mountain, taiga, and tundra habitat. This sedge produces thick mats and loose clumps of stems up to 30 centimeters tall from a network of short rhizomes. The pistillate flowers have dark leafs and the fruit is covered in a dark colored, long beaked perigynium.

Carex nudata is a species in the Cyperaceae (Sedge) family known by several common names, including Torrent Sedge, California Black-flowering Sedge, Dudley's Sedge, and Naked Sedge. This is a bright green sedge which grows in mounds below the high-water mark in marshes and on river banks. It bears long scaly spikes of black, dark reddish or dusky brown flowers, which begin erect and then droop when they become heavy. It grows amidst rocks and becomes a dense mounding tussock. It is found mainly in California and Oregon.

Carex obnupta is a species of sedge known by the common name slough sedge. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California where it grows crudsaline habitat such as wetlands. The plant produces upright, angled stems approaching 1.2 meters in maximum height, growing in beds or colonies from rhizome networks. The flower cluster is a cluster of flower spikes accompanied by a long leaflike leaf. The pistillate spikes and sometimes the staminate spikes dangle on peduncles. The fruit is coated by a hard, tough, shiny perigynium which is generally dark in color.

Carex occidentalis is a species of sedge known by the common name western sedge. It is native to the southwestern United States and parts of the west as far north as Montana. It grows mainly in dry habitat such as woodland and grassland. The plant produces very narrow stems up to about 90 centimeters in maximum height, sometimes with rhizomes. The flower cluster produces a cluster of several rounded flower spikes. The pistillate flowers are covered in scales which are brown with green, three-veined centers.

Carex pachystachya is a species of sedge known by the common name Chamisso sedge. It is native to western North America from Alaska to Saskatchewan to California, where it grows in dry to wet areas in many types of forest and grassland habitat. This sedge produces dense clumps of erect stems up to 1.2 meters in maximum height. The flower cluster is a dense or open cluster of several spikes of flowers. The pistillate flowers are covered in reddish or brown leafs. The fruit is coated in a sac called a perigynium which is brown or coppery with a metallic sheen and a long dark tip.

Sand Dune Sedge (Carex pansa) is a member of the Sedge family (Cyperaceae). It is a grass-like perennial with triangular blades and clusters of dark brown nutlets as flowers.

Butterflies and moths use Dune Sedge flowers for nectar. Small shore birds may use sedges and rushes for hiding and nesting.

Dune Sedge naturally grows in the Sand Dune plant community along the west coast.

Although this Sedge is sometimes recommended as a lawn substitute, it grows best in sandy soil, with regular water and no more than light foot traffic. Use Dune Sedge for coastal gardens with sandy soil and to create habitat for coastal wildlife.

Carex pellita is a species of sedge known by the common name woolly sedge. It is native to much of North America, including most of the United States and southern Canada. It grows in wet and dry areas in a number of habitat types, including disturbed areas such as ditches and roadsides. This sedge grows in colonies of individuals made up of clumps of stems 30 centimeters to one meter tall from a network of spreading rhizomes. The flower cluster is up to 30 centimeters long, a cylindrical body of overlapping flowers. Female flowers have dark brown or purplish, hairy scales with long tips. The fruit is coated in a fuzzy to woolly perigynium.

Carex petasata is a species of sedge known by the common name Liddon sedge. This sedge is native to much of western North America, from Alaska and northwestern Canada to California and to New Mexico, where it grows in several habitat types, including dry and wet, and low to high elevation, woodland and grassland. This sedge is native to much of western North America, from Alaska and northwestern Canada to California and to New Mexico, where it grows in several habitat types, including dry and wet, and low to high elevation, woodland and grassland. Carex petasata produces dense clumps of stems up to about 85 centimeters in maximum height with several leaves per stem measuring up to 30 or 40 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a light-colored open bundle of distinct flower spikes. The scale covering the female flower and the perigynium on the fruit are generally of pale color, white to cream to light brown.

Carex phaeocephala is a species of sedge known by the common name dunhead sedge. It is native to much of western North America, from Alaska to California to New Mexico, where it grows in high elevation habitat, including areas of alpine climate, generally in rocky soils. This sedge produces dense clumps of stems up to about 45 centimeters in maximum height with several narrow, channeled leaves up to about 20 centimeters long. The dense or open flower cluster contains several spikes of flowers. Female flowers have scales which are greenish or brown-orange with narrow pale edges. The perigynium covering the fruit has a dark center and greenish margins.

Carex praeceptorum (orth. var. C. praeceptorium) is a species of sedge known by the common names early sedge and teacher's sedge. It is native to much of western North America, from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in wet, marshy habitat such as bogs and lakeshores. This sedge produces small clumps of short, grasslike stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall from a thin network of rhizomes. The thin, grayish to pale green leaves are up to about 15 centimeters in length but shorter than the stems. The inflorescence is a small, dense bundle of a few brown flower spikes. The fruit is coated in a dark colored perigynium.

Clustered field sedge (Carex praegracilis) is a tough, adaptable species in the sedge family (Cyperaceae), native to much of North America, except for the southeastern region. It thrives in wet and seasonally wet environments, including meadows, riverbanks, and wetlands, and can even grow in clay hardpan soils.

This sedge spreads readily by underground rhizomes, making it useful for erosion control on slopes. It also serves as an excellent lawn alternative, requiring significantly less water than traditional turfgrass. It can be mowed, tolerates moderate foot traffic, and works well in poorly draining areas or between pavers.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Tolertates any sun exposure in coast sites, but requires part shade or shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Carex praticola is a species of sedge known by the common name meadow sedge. It is native to most of northern North America, including most of Canada and the northernmost United States. It grows in many habitat types from wet to dry, including moist mountain meadows and woodlands. This sedge produces dense clumps of stems approaching a meter in maximum height. The inflorescence is an erect or nodding cluster of several flower spikes in color light greenish or brown to white. The fruit is covered in a perigynium which is white to cream, sometimes with a coppery center, and translucent.

Carex raynoldsii is a species of sedge known by the common name Raynolds' sedge. It is native to western North America from California to Colorado to Yukon, where it grows in mountain meadows in subalpine and alpine climates. This sedge produces clumps of smooth stems up to about 75 centimeters in maximum height from a network of rhizomes. The flower cluster is a cluster of separate rounded or oval flower spikes one to two centimeters long, each generally hanging on a peduncle. The female flower has a covering scale which is black, brown, or purple, often with a raised, light colored midstripe and produces a rounded fruit.

Carex rossii is a species of sedge known by the common name Ross' sedge. It is native to much of western and central North America, from Alaska and northwestern Canada to the American southwest to the Great Lakes region. It grows in many habitat types, including wet and dry areas in forest, sagebrush, prairie, and alpine meadows. This sedge produces a dense clump or solid mat of slender stems up to about 40 centimeters tall from a shallow network of rhizomes. The pale to dark green leaves are usually longer than the stems. The flower cluster contains one or more staminate flower spikes above more rounded pistillate spikes. The fruit is three-sided and covered in a greenish or brownish perigynium.