Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Carex biltmoreana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Biltmore Sedge at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex biltmoreana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-056:
Carex biltmoreana FAMILY Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex biltmoreana
COMMON NAME:
Biltmore Sedge, Granite Dome Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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JK Marlow jkm0404k_32
April Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
Flowering stems 1-3' tall, leafy, 3-angled w tiny rough hairs on the angles, per Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm0305k_18
May Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
Leaves up to 20" long and 1/4" wide, blue-green with a purple base, per Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Carex biltmoreana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex biltmoreana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-056:
Carex biltmoreana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex biltmoreana
261
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: In thin soils on medium to high elevation granitic domes and other sloping rock outcrops, often dominant in thin-soil herbaceous mats wet by seasonal and post-rainfall seepage, and also occurring in adjacent woodlands under open to nearly closed canopy of Quercus spp., Fraxinus americana, Carya glabra, and Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana, 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
Basal? Alternate, 3-ranked?
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Perianth absent
3 stamens
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Inflorescences: spikes (terminal spike staminate; 1-3 lateral spikes pistillate)
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Yellowish/Brownish
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p110
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p079
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".