Lipocarpha occidentalis, the Western halfchaff sedge, or Pacific halfchaff sedge, is a plant species native to western part of the United States but cultivated as an ornamental in other regions.Gardening.eu, Papiro Lipocarpha occidentalis It is widespread in California (in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, the Central Valley, and the Redwood Country), with populations also reported from Oregon (Klamath County) and Washington state (Klickitat County).Flora of North America v 23 p 197, Lipocarpha occidentalisBONAP (Biota of North America Project) floristic synthesis, Lipocarpha occidentalis
Lipocarpha occidentalis is an annual herb up to 50 cm tall, forming clumps but not rhizomes. Culms are round in cross-section. Leaves are bristly, up to 3 cm long. Inflorescence an egg-shaped cluster of spikes; each spike with 2 scales, each scale subtending a hermaphroditic flower. Achenes are egg-shaped, up to 1 mm long.Tucker, Gordon C. 1987. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 68(4): 410.Gray, Asa. 1868. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 7(2): 391–392.Clarke, Charles Baron. 1908. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information: Additional Series 8: 30. Goetghebeur, P. & A. Van den Borre. 1989. Studies in Cyperaceae 8. A revision of Lipocarpha, including Hemicarpha and Rikliella. Wageningen Agricultural University Papers 89(1): 1–87.Hickman, J. C. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California 1–1400. University of California Press, Berkeley.
References