Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Carex flaccosperma
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Meadow Sedge at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex flaccosperma
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Carex flaccosperma
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Carex flaccosperma
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-077:
Carex flaccosperma FAMILY Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Gray's Manual of Botany (Fernald, 1950)
Carex flaccosperma var. flaccosperma
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex flaccosperma
COMMON NAME:
Meadow Sedge, Blue Wood Sedge, thinfruit sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cafl3_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_cafl3_003_lvd
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_carex_flaccosperma_2
April Iredell County NC
Peduncles of terminal spikes barely to much exceeding lateral spikes, per Flora of North America.
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_carex_flaccosperma_1
May Catawba County NC
Leaf blades glaucous, widest blades 6.3-14.7 mm wide, per Flora of North America.
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_carex_flaccosperma_1b
May Catawba County NC
Lateral spikes pistillate, with 12-39 perigynia, per Flora of North America.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Carex flaccosperma
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex flaccosperma
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Carex flaccosperma
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Carex flaccosperma
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-077:
Carex flaccosperma
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Gray's Manual of Botany (Fernald, 1950)
Carex flaccosperma var. flaccosperma
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex flaccosperma
2269
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Mesic forests, well-drained bottomlands, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in SC Piedmont & SC Coastal Plain, uncommon in NC Piedmont & NC Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC) (distribution and abundance needing additional herbarium investigation)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & low alternate, 3-ranked
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Cespitose [growing in dense tufts, clumping]
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Perianth absent
3 stamens
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Inflorescences: spikes (terminal spike staminate; 2-4 lateral spikes pistillate)
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
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".