Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Carex debilis
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about White-edged Sedge at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Carex allegheniensis and C. flexuosa are often treated as varieties of C. debilis, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex debilis var. debilis
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Carex debilis var. debilis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Carex debilis var. debilis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Carex debilis var. debilis
INCLUDED WITHIN Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Carex debilis
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-084a:
Carex debilis var. debilis FAMILY Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex debilis
COMMON NAME:
White-edge Sedge, Weak Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_carex_debilis_2
April Catawba County NC
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_carex_debilis_3
April Catawba County NC
Perigynia broadest below middle, tapering to a conspicuous beak, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm220503_7504
May Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230523_3263
May Greenville County SC
Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_carex_debilis_1
May Catawba County NC
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Carex debilis
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex debilis var. debilis
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Carex debilis var. debilis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Carex debilis var. debilis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Carex debilis var. debilis
INCLUDED WITHIN
Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Carex debilis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-084a:
Carex debilis var. debilis
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex debilis
2271
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: swamps, bogs, other moist to wet habitats, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in Mountains of GA & SC, rare in NC Mountains)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal? Alternate, 3-ranked?
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Densely cespitose [growing in dense tufts, clumping]
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Perianth absent
3 stamens
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Inf: spikes (terminal staminate or occ. gynecandrous; 2-5 lateral pistillate)
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
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".