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| Category: Grass-like |
| Family: Cyperaceae (Sedges) |
| Origin: California (U.S.A.) |
| California Native (Plant List): Yes |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Tan |
| Bloomtime: Spring |
| Height: 3-4 feet |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 0-10° F |
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Carex spissa (San Diego Sedge) - A large evergreen, clumping sedge that has silver-gray foliage that will reach 3 to 4+ feet tall. Golden flowers bloom in the spring and then mature to a tan color. It will tolerate a wide variety of conditions from a wet seep in full sun to a relatively dry light shade in well drained, clay, alkaline or serpentine soils. It is best in full sun or partial shade (color is better in part sun in hot locations) with regular to infrequent irrigation. Hardy to ~0° F and useful in USDA Zones 6 and above. It is resistant to browsing by deer. It and was long thought that this riparian species was best in moist to regularly irrigated conditions but in the UC Davis Landscape Irrigation Trials it was determined that this plant performed well both when it was irrigated regularly and when it only received a couple irrigation treatments throughout the entire dry periods of the year. The ability of this plant to handle both wet inundation and drought makes it a great candidate for vegetated drainage swales. San Diego Sedge is found growing naturally in Creekbanks, near seeps and in canyon bottoms below 4,000 ft from the central California coast just north of the Monterey and San Luis Obispo County line south to Baja California and inland and most common in the San Diego western Peninsular Ranges. We grew this plant from 1994 until 2006 and only discontinued it because of the lack of sales - we would gladly grow this California native plant again.
This information about Carex spissa displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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