Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Cyperus plukenetii
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
One of the more "handsome" graminoids of dry sandhills habitats, with a wide-spreading inflorescence that looks like a fireworks display. The 5-10 spikes are obovoid and occur at the ends of very long stalks. Similar in gestalt to C. retrofractus and C. hystricinus, but it differs in its very short spikes (half as long). Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Visit Flora of North America to view their excellent illustration comparing spikes of C. plukenetii to C. hystricinus, C. lancastriensis, C. refractus, C. retrofractus....
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cyperus plukenetii
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Cyperus plukenetii
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Cyperus plukenetii
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Cyperus plukenetii
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-01-034:
Cyperus plukenetii FAMILY Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Cyperus retrofractus var. retrofractus
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cyperus retrofractus
COMMON NAME:
Starburst Flatsedge, Plukenet’s Flatsedge, Plukenet’s Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm161001_050
October Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Rays scabrid [rough]; longest ray ≥ longest bract; spikes tight, burlike, turbinate [top-shaped], per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
JK Marlow jkm161001_055
October Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Spikes strongly obovate, composed of many sharp, backward-oriented scales, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Cyperus plukenetii
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cyperus plukenetii
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Cyperus plukenetii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Cyperus plukenetii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Cyperus plukenetii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-01-034:
Cyperus plukenetii
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Cyperus retrofractus var. retrofractus
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cyperus retrofractus
4047
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Longleaf pine sandhills, sandy woodlands, thin soils of rock outcrops, and dry, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (rare in Piedmont)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p377
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p098
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".