Cyperus capitatus, known as Capitate Galingale[1] is a species of sedge that is native to coasts of the Mediterranean and close by; it has no subspecies.
It was first formally described by Domenico Vandelli in 1771.[2]
An unmistakable Cyperus growing in coastal sands, spreading by scaly undersand roots, with leaves mostly at the stem base, that are large, thick, blue-grey and U-shaped (often both broad and narrow-curled ones), and with bracts under the flowers resembling the leaves but with widened bases. The flowers form a single agglomerated head of spikelets, with the floret glumes large, broad (5-8 x 2.5-4 mm), membraneous-edged, with conspicuous tip points (mucro 1-3 mm).[3] [4]
Mediterranean coastal sands, dunes and slacks and some coasts close by - Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, North Caucasus, Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Western Sahara, Yugoslavia. [5]