''Carex californica'' is a

tussock Tussock may refer to: * Tussock grass, a group of species in the family Poaceae *Floating island * Lymantriinae, called tussock moths or tussocks See also * Hassock (disambiguation) Hassock may refer to: * Kneeler, a cushion or a piece of f ...

-forming species of perennial sedge in the family

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...

. It is native to western parts of the United States. The sedges have long

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s and form colonies. The smooth to roughly textured culms are in length. The bladeless leaves have a purple tinge and have fibrous proximal sheaths with a diameter of with small projections that are long and sometimes wider than they are long. The inflorescences are in length. The species was first described by the botanist

Liberty Hyde Bailey Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858 – December 25, 1954) was an American horticulturist and reformer of rural life. He was cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press ...

in 1889 as a part of ''Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club''. It has one

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

; ''Carex polymorpha'' var. ''californica'' as described by Georg Kukenthal.

References

californica Taxa named by Liberty Hyde Bailey Plants described in 1889 Flora of California Flora of Idaho Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) {{Carex-stub