Carex capitata Sol.

capitate sedge

More info for the terms: achene, caespitose, culm, graminoid, monoecious

Capitate sedge is a native, perennial, monoecious graminoid [8,10]. It
is loosely to densely caespitose [8,11]. Culms are 4 to 14 inches
(10-35 cm) tall [1,10]. Leaves are one to four per culm [8] and 0.02
inches (0.5 mm) wide or less [1,14,18]. The first foliage leaves arise
well above the base of the plant [10]. The inflorescence is a solitary
terminal spike [10] 0.16 to 0.39 inches (4-10 mm) long [8,14]. The
achene is 0.06 inches (1.5 mm) long [8]. The perigynia surrounding the
achene is ovate and 0.08 to 0.12 inches (2-3 mm) long [1,14]. There are
6 to 25 pergynia per spike [7,9]. Capitate sedge has short creeping
rhizomes [8] on which the culms are closely spaced [23].

Capitate sedge is circumboreal [10,11]. It extends south in the western
cordillera of North America to southern British Columbia and Alberta,
and sporadically at high elevations to Mexico and east to Montana,
Wyoming, and Colorado [5,10]. In the east, it occurs in the high
mountains from Quebec south to New Hampshire [5,18]. It also occurs in
southern South America [1,7].

More info for the term: fire regime

Since capitate sedge can reproduce vegetatively [8,10], it probably
sprouts from rhizomes after aerial portions are burned. Where thick
tufts form, they may protect basal buds from fire-caused damage.

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

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More info for the terms: geophyte, hemicryptophyte

Hemicryptophyte
Geophyte

Capitate sedge is found in arctic and alpine environments [10] on marshy
meadows to dry alpine slopes [14,23]. It grows on acidic rocky,
gravelly [7], sandy [15], or peaty [5] soils.

In the alpine zone of the eastern Cascade Range in southern interior
British Columbia capitate sedge is dominant where the soil is strongly
acid (pH 4.9-5.3) and coarse textured, with loamy sand predominating
[15]. In the alpine zone of Mt. Baker, Washington, capitate sedge only
grew in the drier eastern region, on sites with the least snow
accumulation. However, the soils there remained moist well into summmer
because of drainage from upslope [3].

Capitate sedge is found at the following elevations:

Elevation (feet) Elevation (m)

AK 0- 3,281 0-1,000 [11]
CA 6,234-12,900 1,900-3,932 [9,14]
WA 7,546- 8,038 2,300-2,450 [3]
BC 2,402- 2,500 732- 762 [16]

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

207 Red fir

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES44 Alpine

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K007 Red fir forest
K052 Alpine meadows and barren

Capitate sedge culms are probably killed by fire during the growing
season.

Capitate sedge is listed as an indicator and dominant species in the
following published description of plant communities:

Vegetation patterns and environment of some alpine plant communities on
Lakeview Mountain, southern British Columbia [15]

Species associated with capitate sedge in the alpine zone of the eastern
Cascade Range in southern interior British Columbia include downy sedge
(Carex scirpoidea), snow cinquefoil (Potentilla nivea), slender
crazyweed (Oxytropis monticola), Lyall's goldenweed (Haplopappus
lyallii), golden fleabane (Erigeron aureus), and fairy-candelabra
(Androsace septentrionalis) [16].

Species associated with capitate sedge in the alpine zone of Mt. Baker,
Washington, in the North Cascade Range include false sedge (Carex
scirpoidea var. pseudoscirpoidea), alpine fescue (Festuca ovina var.
brevifolia), and Cascade willow (Salix cascadensis) [3].

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

AK CA CO ID MT NV NH OR UT WA
WY AB BC NF NT PQ YT MEXICO

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More info for the terms: fruit, seed

Capitate sedge blooms from July 1 to August 30 in New England [18] and
from late June to August in adjacent Canada [5].

Capitate sedge showed little phenological variation due to aspect in the
alpine zone of the eastern Cascade Range in southern interior British
Columbia. Snow had melted from the site by the third week of June in
1980. Capitate sedge broke dormancy the last week of June and grew
vegetatively until the first week of July. At that time it began to
flower, and continued to do so until the second week of August (except
at one site, where flowering ended August 3). It set fruit until the
first week of September, and dispersed seed after that time [16].

More info for the term: tundra

Vegetation regrowth after fire is very fast in low arctic tundra sedge
(Carex spp.) dominated communities [22]. Sedges increase in importance
following fire in these habitats [21].

More info for the terms: herb, rhizome, tussock

Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Tussock graminoid

More info for the term: seed

Capitate sedge sprouts from perennating buds at the base of the culms
and from rhizomes [10]. It also reproduces by seed [8].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

2 Cascade Mountains
4 Sierra Mountains
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
11 Southern Rocky Mountains

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More info for the term: climax

Facultative Seral Species

Capitate sedge is dominant on some sites [15]. It is probably a climax
species in some places, but no specific information was found on its
successional status.

The currently accepted scientific name of capitate sedge is Carex
capitata L. [5,7,10]. It is in the family Cyperaceae. Carex capitata
f. arctogen (H. Smith) Hulten is a recognized form [12]

Capitate sedge is listed as a native plant good for stabilizing or
restoring disturbed or degraded (including logged or burned) areas. It
is also recommended for erosion control [9].