Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Xyris torta
FAMILY
Xyridaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Xyris from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Xyris torta
FAMILY
Xyridaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Xyris torta
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 035-01-004:
Xyris torta FAMILY Xyridaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Xyris torta
COMMON NAME:
Twisted Yellow-eyed-grass, Mountain Yellow-eyed-grass, Slender Yellow-eyed-grass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_xyto_004_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm120704_537
July Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
Slender scape bears a conelike head from which flowers emerge 1-2 at a time, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm120705_587
July Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
Leaves ascending, 8-20" long, 0.1-0.2" wide, usually spiraled or twisted, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120705_590
July Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
Our only species of Xyris not strongly associated with the Coastal Plain, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Xyris torta
FAMILY
Xyridaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Xyris torta
FAMILY
Xyridaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Xyris torta
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 035-01-004:
Xyris torta
FAMILY
Xyridaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Xyris torta
1681
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: mountain bogs, seeps, marshes, streambanks, ditches, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in NC Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate (crowded and appearing basal)
FLOWER:
Summer
Yellow
3 sepals
3 petals
3 stamens, 3 fimbriate staminodia
Superior ovary
Inflorescence a compact, terminal, capitate spike
FRUIT:
Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p116
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p433
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p236
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p341
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p393
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p004
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".
Or try alternate spellings: If "wooly" doesn't work, try "woolly" or just "wool".