Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Asparagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Liriope spicata
FAMILY
Ruscaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Liriope from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Liriope spicata
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Liriope spicata
SYNONYMOUS WITH Liriope & Ophiopogon naturalized & commonly cultivated in the USA (Nesom, 2010)
Liriope spicata
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Liriope spicatum
COMMON NAME:
Creeping Lily-turf, Liriope
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm140717_884
July Greenville County SC
Leaves 3-6(8)mm wide, flexuous and arching, 5-11 nerved, apices acute, per Overview of Liriope and Ophiopogon (Ruscaceae) naturalized and commonly cultivated in the USA (Nesom, 2010).
)
JK Marlow jkm140717_886
July Greenville County SC
Scapes mostly much shorter than the leaves; inflorescences mostly obscured, per Overview of Liriope and Ophiopogon (Ruscaceae) naturalized and commonly cultivated in the USA (Nesom, 2010).
)
JK Marlow jkm140717_886b
July Greenville County SC
Flowers erect. Corollas mostly white. Inflorescence rachis 2-5(8)cm long, per Overview of Liriope and Ophiopogon (Ruscaceae) naturalized and commonly cultivated in the USA (Nesom, 2010).
)
JK Marlow jkm140717_891
July Greenville County SC
Plants colonial, from slender stolons, unequivocally "spreading", per Overview of Liriope and Ophiopogon (Ruscaceae) naturalized and commonly cultivated in the USA (Nesom, 2010).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Liriope spicata
FAMILY
Ruscaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Liriope spicata
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Liriope spicata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Liriope & Ophiopogon naturalized & commonly cultivated in the USA (Nesom, 2010)
Liriope spicata
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Liriope spicatum
3687
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Commonly planted, persistent and escaping, locally abundant, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea & Vietnam
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Southeast
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Simple
Basal
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
White / very pale violet
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Blue-black/ Blackish-purple
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p102
- New Invaders of the Southeast (Rawlins et al., 2018) p005
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".