Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Rhynchospora colorata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
With their bright white inflorescence bracts, this and R. latifolia are easily recognized from our other Rhynchospora species. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhynchospora colorata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Rhynchospora (Cyperaceae) of South Carolina and the Eastern United States (McMillan, 2007)
Rhynchospora colorata
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-04-002:
Dichromena colorata FAMILY Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dichromena colorata
COMMON NAME:
Narrowleaf Whitetop Sedge, White-bracted Sedge, Starrush Whitetop Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_dico_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_rhco7_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm090516_309
May Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
)
Steve Marlow snm090516_047
May Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Inflorescence bracts 3-6(7); basal bract's white tapering gradually into green, per Weakley's Flora.
)
Steve Marlow snm090516_049
May Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Culms 10-50cm tall, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Rhynchospora colorata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhynchospora colorata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Rhynchospora (Cyperaceae) of South Carolina and the Eastern United States (McMillan, 2007)
Rhynchospora colorata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-04-002:
Dichromena colorata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dichromena colorata
465
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Wet pine savannas, ditches, dune swales, calcareous glades, usually in places with some source of alkalinity (calcareous rocks, shell, brackish water), 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
Mostly basal
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Brownish/Yellowish
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p125
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p175
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p396
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p154
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p007
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p378
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".