Lemmon's sedge facts for kids

Lemmon's sedge (Carex lemmonii) is a type of plant that belongs to the sedge family. It is found only in California, which means it is an endemic plant there. Another plant, called Carex albida, or white sedge, used to be thought of as a different species. Now, scientists know it's actually the same as Lemmon's sedge.

What Lemmon's Sedge Looks Like

Lemmon's sedge grows in clumps, either close together or a bit spread out. Its stems stand straight up, reaching about 40 to 60 centimeters (about 16 to 24 inches) tall. These stems grow from short underground stems called rhizomes. Rhizomes help the plant spread and grow new shoots.

The plant's flowers grow in a group called an inflorescence. This group has 5 to 7 long spikes, each over 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) long. The flowers that have stamens (male parts) are mostly found on the top spike. The flowers that have pistils (female parts) are mostly found on the side spikes. After flowering, the fruit forms inside a sac called a perigynium. This sac is green and has a white tip, which looks like a beak.

White Sedge and Its Home

White sedge is a special type of Lemmon's sedge that is found only in Sonoma County, California. It grows in just one place called Pitkin Marsh. This marsh is a wetland area located between the towns of Forestville and Sebastopol.

Scientists have counted the plants in Pitkin Marsh. There are fewer than 1,000 white sedge plants, and some recent counts suggest there might be fewer than 300. Because there are so few of them, white sedge is listed as a federally endangered species. This means the United States government protects it to help it survive.

The groups of white sedge plants are spread out over about 5 acres (20,000 square meters) within a larger 27-acre (109,000 square meters) area. It can be tricky to count these plants accurately. This is because they can reproduce vegetatively by making clones from their rhizomes. This means many visible stems might actually be part of the same plant. Researchers count the visible stems, and recent numbers show a decrease from nearly 1,000 to fewer than 300.

White sedge grows near another rare plant that is also only found in this area. This plant is the Pitkin Marsh lily (Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense).