General Species Description
- A common, but scattered coastal species easily identifiable by its large inflorescence and its relatively short stout, triangular stem. Sprouts from horizontally spreading rhizomes are buried in the sand.
Leaves
- Thick, firm, with toothed margins, 3-8 mm wide, yellowish-green, and clustered around base of plant. The upper leaves are generally longer than the stem. The basal leaves are very short and scale like.
Inflorescence/Flowers
- Male flower spike occurs on a separate plant. The male heads are 3.5-5 cm long, 1.0-1.5 cm thick, and less common. The female heads are 3.5 - 8.0 cm long and 1.5 - 5.0 cm thick. The flower spikes are numerous and closely clustered into a single, oval-shaped, terminal head. The involucral bracts are short, nearly undistinguishable from the female scales. Carex macrocepala blooms June through July
Fruits
- The perigynia is lance shaped, thick, course, shiny, golden, large (10-15 mm long), and minutely saw-toothed along the edges. The perigynia spreads widely upon maturity, with multi-veins. The body of the perigynia is inflated around the achene. The achene is dull, triangular, and 4.0 mm long. There are 3 stigmas. The scales on the female are firm, chestnut brown, short awn-tipped, multi-veined, and equal in size to the perigynia. Scales are spiky.
Habitat
- Sandy beaches, coastal dunes, and estuaries.
Range
- Along coastal areas in the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia and Southern Alaska.
Similar Species
- None.
Ecological Value
- Excellent for dune stabilization.
Human Value
- Not known.
References
- Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 1994. Cooke, S.S., A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwestern Oregon, 1997.
This page was created by: Michelle Michaud, August 1999
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