Native & Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas & Georgia

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4264

Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Monoecious

Native: west of the Carolinas & Georgia

Documented growing wild in GA NC SC

Rare

Look for it in fields, pastures, roadsides, per Weakley's Flora

map
To see a detailed map, click here

 

full sun

LEAVES:
Simple
Basal or alternate, 3-ranked

FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Unisexual
Perianth absent
3 stamens
Superior ovary
Inflorescences: spikes w both staminate & pistillate flowers (staminate above)

FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Nutlet

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA (5/21/15):
 Carex gravida   FAMILY Cyperaceae

INCLUDING PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
 Carex gravida var. gravida   FAMILY Cyperaceae

INCLUDING PLANTS National Database
 Carex gravida var. lunelliana

INCLUDING VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-003:
 Carex gravida var. lunelliana   FAMILY Cyperaceae

INCLUDING Poales, Cyperaceae, Cypereae (pars). North American Flora (Mackenzie, 1931-35)
 Carex lunelliana

 

COMMON NAME:
 Heavy Sedge, Pregnant Sedge

Click or hover over the thumbnails to see larger pictures.

image of Carex gravida, Heavy Sedge, Pregnant Sedge

Bryan England    bry_cgravida_fruits_2

April    Wake County    NC

Raleigh Nature Preserve

Inflorescence crowded, elongate, 2-4cm long. Scales acute to acuminate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.

image of Carex gravida, Heavy Sedge, Pregnant Sedge

Bryan England    bry_cgravida_plant

April    Wake County    NC

Raleigh Nature Preserve

Plants without conspicuous rhizomes, per Flora of North America.

image of Carex gravida, Heavy Sedge, Pregnant Sedge

Bryan England    bry_cgravida_sheath

April    Wake County    NC

Raleigh Nature Preserve

Leaf sheaths loose, backs striped with green and white (not white-spotted), per Weakley's Flora (2015).