Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Carex plantaginea
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Leaves are unique in NC's Carex in being very broad and the surface generally puckered like seersucker fabric. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex plantaginea
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-057:
Carex plantaginea FAMILY Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex plantaginea
COMMON NAME:
Seersucker Sedge, Plantainleaf Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_capl4_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm0403g_21
March Polk County NC
Pearson's Falls
Flowering stem usually leafless w a terminal male spike, 3-4 female spikes, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm230322_1959
March Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm230322_1959b
March Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm230322_1970
March Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm160423_441
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
)
JK Marlow jkm160423_455
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The "semi-naked" flowering stems of Plantainleaf Sedge are distinctive, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
)
JK Marlow jkm060806_030
August Polk County NC
Bright green 10" foliage that puckers between the veins. Leaves 0.5-1" wide, per Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Carex plantaginea
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex plantaginea
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-057:
Carex plantaginea
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex plantaginea
266
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Rich cove forests, mostly over mafic or calcareous rocks, montane alluvial forests, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & low alternate, 3-ranked
FLOWER:
Spring
Perianth absent
3 stamens
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Inflorescences: spikes (terminal spike staminate; 2-4 lateral spikes pistillate)
FRUIT:
Spring
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p210
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p130
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p113
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p344
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p397
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".