Carex tumulicola
Foothill sedge is a clumping, cool-season evergreen sedge native to California, forming dense tufts roughly 1 to 1.5 feet tall and wide with fine, arching, dark green blades that give a soft, grass-like texture. Inconspicuous brownish flower and seed spikes appear in spring above the foliage. It is adaptable to full sun along the coast and partial shade inland, accepts a range of soils, and is moderately drought tolerant once established while also handling regular irrigation. Use it as a meadow and lawn-alternative planting, mass groundcover, border edging, understory filler beneath trees, and erosion control on gentle slopes.