Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Cyperus erythrorhizos
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Redroot Flatsedge at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
This species is frequently confused with C. odoratus, with which it is often closely associated. The neatly quadrangular spikelets with tiny (≤ 1.5 mm), closely imbricate scales (vs. terete, jointed spikelets with > 2 mm, loosely spaced scales) easily distinguish even depauperate plants of C. erythrorhizos at a glance, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cyperus erythrorhizos
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Cyperus erythrorhizos
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Cyperus erythrorhizos
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-01-016:
Cyperus erythrorhizos FAMILY Cyperaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cyperus erythrorhizos
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cyperus halei
COMMON NAME:
Redroot Flatsedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cyer2_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_cyer2_005_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cyha8_001_lvd
)
Gill Newberry gn09_c_erythrorhizos
September
Spikes numerous, congested, cylindrical. Central sessile, lateral rays unequal, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Cyperus erythrorhizos
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cyperus erythrorhizos
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Cyperus erythrorhizos
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Cyperus erythrorhizos
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-01-016:
Cyperus erythrorhizos
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cyperus erythrorhizos
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cyperus halei
2259
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Annual
Habitat: marshes, ditches, shores, mud flats, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Carolina Coastal Plain, rare in GA Mountains (uncommon elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly basal
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Cream
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges & Rushes of the US (Knobel, 1899) (Faust, 1977) p54
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p377
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".