Bill's Botanical Forays

Today in a sandy area in the northwest part of the refuge’s North Tract near the highest elevation on the refuge, I spotted a small tufted grass-like plant. I was unsure of its identity so I reached out to some botanist friends and Mark Strong of the Smithsonian Institute’s National Herbarium came through and identified it as Bulbostylis capillaris (L.) Kunth ex C.B. Clarke (Dense Tuft Hair Sedge.)

This member of the sedge family (Cyperaceae) is found throughout much of North America, but is absent from the Northern Rockies, Washington State, Western Canada and Alaska. It is usually 1.5 to 12 inches high.  At this location it was less than 4 inches high. It prefers dry sandy areas, poor soil, and is found in various locations from railroad ballast to open woods.

Below are some additional photos of this plant.