Cladium californicum is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known as California sawgrass. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico where it grows in moist areas in a number of habitat types, often in alkaline soils. Cladium californicum is a perennial herb with a hollow, erect, rounded stem 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) tall. It grows from rhizomes in dense clumps. The narrow leaves are flat and edged with small, sharp teeth. The inflorescence is a large panicle of spikelets yielding oval-shaped, purplish-brown fruits.

Cladium californicum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Cladium
Species:
C. californicum
Binomial name
Cladium californicum
(S.Wats.) O'Neill
Synonyms
  • C. marsicus var. californicum S.Wats.
  • C. mariscus subsp. californicum (S. Watson) Govaerts
edit