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Plant Profile

San Luis Obispo Sedge (Carex obispoensis)

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Cyperaceae
State: CA
Nature Serve ID: 155758
Lifeform: Graminoid
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Carex obispoensis, also known as San Luis Obispo sedge and an imperiled, perennial herb that grows in clumps with stems growing up to 2-4 feet in length (Jepson). C. obispoensis is currently endemic to San Luis Obispo (SLO) and further north along the northern coastline from SLO to Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA (CalFlora 2017). C.obispoensis can occupy a variety of habitats ranging from coastal wetlands to closed-cone coniferous forests to grasslands (Skinner 1994). Each of these ecosystems, however, come with their own set of conservational threats including the threat of grazing in the grasslands and the endangered status of coastal wetlands in general (NatureServe 2017).

Where is San Luis Obispo Sedge (Carex obispoensis) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Carex obispoensis grows in coastal chaparral communities where its more commonly found in serpentine seeps (NatureServe 2017; Safford et. al 2005). Described as a "grass-like" or rhizomatous herb, C. obispoensis can overall be found in a wide variety of habitats including closed-cone forests, wetlands, and woodland prairies (CalFlora 2017; NatureServe 2017).

Distribution:

Carex obispoensis can be found in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties (CNPS).

States & Provinces:

San Luis Obispo Sedge can be found in California

Which CPC Partners conserve San Luis Obispo Sedge (Carex obispoensis)?

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/13/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden holds 1 accessions of Carex obispoensis in orthodox seed collection. There are as many as 100 seeds of this species in their collection - although some may have been used for curation testing or sent to back up.

08/05/2020

Based on an August 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has collected 1 seed accessions of Carex obispoensis from 1 plant occurrences listed in the California Natural Diversity Database. These collections together emcompass 15 maternal plants