Carex arenaria

Sand Sedge ( Carex arenaria )

The sand sedge ( Carex arenaria ) belongs to the genus of sedges ( Carex ). The especially in coastal and inland dunes growing sour grass greenhouse ( Cyperaceae ) is a meter wide creeping rhizome ( " rhizome " ), from which grow up every 5 to 10 inches new shoots almost straight rows. It is therefore commonly known as " Soldatensegge " or " Sewing Machine God." The plant is a sandy soil consolidates pioneer and through their roots the loose sand of the dunes.

Dissemination

The sand sedge is Northern, Western and Central Europe spread. After North America, the species has been introduced. It settles dry, loose, base poor and mostly lime-free, acidic sandy soils of coastal dunes from Portugal to southern Scandinavia. It also occurs on shifting sands and dunes of the inland.

Description

The evergreen perennial plant reaches heights of growth 15 to 30 centimeters. In the shadow of growing plants can sometimes be 1 meter high. The sedge forms long, usually several meters cord straight creeping stolon. With the help of their rhizome they can be between 0.5 and 4 meters wide wander. The older rhizome die from it. The measured diameter 2-3 mm rhizomes wear brown, fibrous to low resolution leaves. The sharp triangular and above rough stems and rigid, rinnigen and 2-4 mm wide leaves grow upright stiff. Shadow shapes contrast, often grow arched, overhanging. The leaf sheaths are brown.

The inflorescences are ährig. They are 2-5 mm long and are composed of five to 15 spikelets together. The lower spikelets wear female florets; the average female at the bottom and male flowers at the top; the top individual flowers are pure male. In the shadow forms the lower spikelets are often pulled apart, otherwise close texture. The pointed and yellow husks are shaped ovate - lanceolate and narrow. The male blossoms have three stamens and the female flowers are equipped with a zweinarbigen ovary. The plano-convex and the edges of wide winged fruit hoses ( utriculi ) are slightly longer than the husks. They measure 4-5 mm in length and 1.8 to 2 millimeters in width. You are beaked bidentate. Ripe ears are brown. The flowering period extends from May to June.

The chromosome number is 2n = 58, 64

Ecology

The sand sedge is an evergreen Geophyt or Hemikryptophyt. Its underground runners are up to 10 m long, 2-3 mm thick and sharply pointed. Of them go at regular intervals aboveground shoots with adventitious roots. The young shoots mainly consist of tufts narrow - rinniger leaves.

The unisexual flowers are wind-pollinated and vorweiblichen from " Langstaubfädigen type " and they produce abundant pollen. In addition to wind pollination and self-pollination is successful. The pollen smells of Carex species and is probably therefore also accepted by insects, which can also come to insect pollination. The flowering period extends from May to June.

The fruit and spreading unity of Carex species is a fully encased by a utricle small nut, ie a biological capsule. This can often beaked, 2- dentate end of the utricle to the Velcro spread and trapped between the utricle and real fruit bubble - especially loving all wet species to serve floating spread. Especially comes in the sand sedge to the spread as Regenschwemmling and because of the winged in the lower part utriculi probably the spread as Adhäsionshafter.

The vegetative propagation in the sand sedge prevails, it is done through the foothills.

The near-surface fine roots provide water supply even in dry locations. You need to germinate much moisture. Only after three months in which the seedling must not dry out, the rhizome is strong enough to power the plant from the soil with water. Using their deep anchoring roots, the sand sedge can anchor in loose, slightly windblown sand easily. If they übersandet, it rapidly forms new shoots. You can close the gaps in the dunes vegetation in this way quickly. It also spreads through stolons - spurs that can grow in a straight line from the plant floor. Thus, the plant vacancies in the sand quasi " sew up " like a sewing machine.

Use

In rare cases, the sand sedge is used to consolidate dunes. The rhizome of the sand sedge was formerly used as a blood purifier, diuretic and diaphoretic agent.