Taxon Report

Rhynchospora californica Gale

California beaked-rush

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Rhynchospora californica, commonly known as California beaked-rush, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Cyperaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Bogs and fens, Lower montane coniferous forest, Marshes and swamps (freshwater), and Meadows and seeps (seeps), growing at elevations from 45 to 1010 meters. Rhynchospora californica is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Rhynchospora californica Gale
Common Name:	California beaked-rush
Family:	Cyperaceae
Element Code:	PMCYP0N060
USDA Plants Symbol:	RHCA10
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: May-Jul	May-Jul
Elevation:	45-1010 (150-3315)
General Habitats:	Bogs and fens, Lower montane coniferous forest, Marshes and swamps, Meadows and seeps
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_UCSC
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	9
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	2
Unknown (U)	4

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Butte (BUT), Marin (MRN), Napa (NAP), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Drakes Bay (3812218), Mt. George (3812232), Paradise West (3912176), Richardson Springs (3912177), Sebastopol (3812247), Two Rock (3812237)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	5	56 %
Grazing	2	22%
Non-native plant impacts	2	22%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime	1	11%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	11%

Notes



See Madroño 33(2):150 (1986) for information on BUT Co. collection.
Threats:
Threatened by marsh habitat loss.
Taxonomy:
See Rhodora 46:272-273 (1944) for original description.

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 26 October 2025].