Taxon Report

Carex davyi Mack.

Davy's sedge

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Taxon Summary

Carex davyi, commonly known as Davy's sedge, is a perennial herb in the Cyperaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1500 to 3200 meters. Carex davyi is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

  Classification
Scientific Name:
 Carex davyi Mack.
Common Name:
 Davy's sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Element Code: PMCYP033H0
USDA Plants Symbol: CADA2
Synonyms/Other Names:
  • Carex constanceana

Ecology and Life History
Lifeform: perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Aug May-Aug
Elevation: 1500-3200 (4920-10500)
General Habitats: Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status
CA Rare Plant Rank: 1B.3
Global Rank: G3
State Rank:
 S3
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status: SB_UCSC
CRPR Changes:
  • changed from 4.3 to 1B.3 on 2011-02-16

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
Total Occurrences: 34
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 5
   Good (B) 11
   Fair (C) 2
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 16

Location
California Endemic:  False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alpine (ALP), Butte (BUT), El Dorado (ELD), Lassen (LAS), Mono (MNO), Nevada (NEV), Placer (PLA), Plumas (PLU), Sierra (SIE), Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Antelope Mtn. (4012058), Belden (4012113), Carson Pass (3811968), Champs Flat (4012068), Ebbetts Pass (3811957), Echo Lake (3812071), Emerald Bay (3812081), English Mtn. (3912045), Hobart Mills (3912042), Independence Lake (3912043), Janesville (4012035), Jonesville (4012114), Koip Peak (3711972), Kyburz (3812073), Martis Peak (3912031), Pacific Valley (3811958), Pikes Point (4012057), Pine Creek Valley (4012151), Swain Mountain (4012141), Tahoe City (3912022), Tioga Pass (3711983), Vogelsang Peak (3711973), Webber Peak (3912044)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 2
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
1 3 %
Logging 1 2%
ORV activity 1 2%

Notes
Possibly threatened by grazing and logging. Similar to C. petasata.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed change from List 4.3 to List 1B.3 (2011)
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].