Biological Flora of Sand Dunes on the Atlantic Coastline of the United States: Carex kobomugi Ohwi, An Invasive Sedge

Stalter, R. and Lonard, R.I., 2026. Biological flora of sand dunes on the Atlantic coastline of the United States: Carex kobomugi Ohwi, an invasive sedge. Journal of Coastal Research, 42(1), 122–126. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Carex kobomugi Ohwi, Asiatic sand sedge, is native to coastal dunes in Japan, Korea, China, and Russia and was introduced into coastal dunes in New Jersey in the 1920s. As an invasive species, it has extended its range to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and to Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Plants are usually dioecious and wind pollinated, and they are perennials from deep-seated, rhizome-adventitious root complexes. Vegetative reproduction is the primary means of establishing a population in a foredune habitat. Culms are angled and 10 to 30 cm tall. Leaves are yellowish green, 3 to 8 mm wide, and up to 20 cm long, and they often surpass culms in length. Carex kobomugi exhibits guerilla growth and extends laterally at a rate of 2 m/y. It forms dense mats of up to 140 individuals per square meter. Carex kobomugi may outcompete native dune grasses and reduce native plant diversity and abundance. However, it may be a better dune stabilizer than native Ammophila breviligulata.