Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Dioscoreales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Aletris farinosa
FAMILY
Nartheciaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Aletris from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Aletris farinosa
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Aletris farinosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Aletris farinosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-20-003:
Aletris farinosa FAMILY Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Aletris farinosa
COMMON NAME:
Northern White Colicroot, Mealy Colicroot, Stargrass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_alfa2_001_lvd
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_1313559086258266
May NC
Roadside
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Alan S. Weakley asw_564855539064593
May NC
Roadside
Perianth constricted just below the lobes; lobes lanceolate, spreading, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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JK Marlow jkm0505u_26
May Williamsburg County SC
Whitish flowers in a stiff, spikelike raceme 4-12" long, per Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977).
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JK Marlow jkm090516_029
May
Francis Marion National Forest
Outer surface of perianth finely covered with blunt projections, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)..
)
JK Marlow jkm120525_504
May Oconee County SC
A close-set cluster of yellowish-green lance-shaped 2-5" basal leaves, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
)
Steve Marlow snm090516_063
May Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm0406k_18
June Oconee County SC
The only species of the genus not restricted (or very nearly so) to the Coastal Plain, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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JK Marlow jkm0506i_22
June Oconee County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm090613_012
June Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
Pollinator at work.
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JK Marlow jkm090613_016
June
)
JK Marlow jkm120623_095
June Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
Fruit a 3-chambered capsule, tapered to a long beak, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_a_farinosa_colicroot2
June Floyd County GA
)
Ron Lance rwl_20220617_112214
June Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
)
Ron Lance rwl_20220617_112307
June Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
)
Ron Lance rwl_20220617_112411
June Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm231024_6190
October Oconee County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm151108_659
November Oconee County SC
)
Sharleen Johnson shj_1295576057842445
December Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Aletris farinosa
FAMILY
Nartheciaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Aletris farinosa
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Aletris farinosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Aletris farinosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-20-003:
Aletris farinosa
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Aletris farinosa
47
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: pine savannas, pine flatwoods, seepage bogs, mafic fens and barrens, upland hardpan woodlands and savannas, sandy woodlands, meadows, "salt meadows" (Tatnall 1946), roadbanks, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in Coastal Plain of GA & SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly basal
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals, connate basally
6 stamens
Ovary partly superior
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p146
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p346
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p369
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p336
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p171
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p176
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p031
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p395
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p352
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p408
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p007
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p193
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".