Japanese name: コウボウムギ（弘法麦） Scientific name:Carex kobomugi
[Overview]
A perennial 10–20 cm tall, growing in sandy soil on the seashore.
It has a long, extending, rather thick rhizome and often forms colonies on sand dunes.
The leaves grow in clumps and are linear, 0.4–0.6 cm wide, with rough margins.
It is usually dioecious.
The flower stem has blunt ridges and is smooth.
The inflorescence bears densely packed spikelets.
The male inflorescence is cylindrical, 4–6 cm long, with conspicuous yellow anthers, and the female inflorescence is ovate and dull yellow.
The female spikelets are ovate, 1.5 cm long, and pale yellowish green.
The bracts are usually inconspicuous.
The perigynium is 1 cm long, with its upper end forming a long beak and irregular teeth along the margin.
[Notes]
The Japanese name was given because old leaf sheaths remain underground as fibers, forming a shape like a brush, which was likened to the brush of Kobo Daishi.
