Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Carex mitchelliana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Mitchell's Sedge at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex mitchelliana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Carex mitchelliana
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Carex mitchelliana
INCLUDED WITHIN Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge (Wofford, 1989)
Carex crinita
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-103c:
Carex crinita var. mitchelliana FAMILY Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex mitchelliana
COMMON NAME:
Mitchell's Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Eric Ungberg ung_cmitchelliana_insitu
May Montgomery County NC
in situ - Piedmont boggy streamhead (a little sunnier than usual due to recent adjacent clearcut).
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Eric Ungberg ung_gestalt
May Montgomery County NC
General gestalt: C. crinita (right) seems to have longer/wider leaves than C mitchelliana (left). — Eric Ungberg
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Eric Ungberg ung_insitu_caremitb
May Montgomery County NC
One of the few known host plants of the Mitchell's Satyr (Neonympha mitchellii) butterfly, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
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Eric Ungberg ung_leafunder
May Montgomery County NC
Margins of C. mitchelliana (L) ~ smooth vs. C. crinita (R) harshly scabrous. Is this consistent?. — Eric Ungberg
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Eric Ungberg ung_leafupper
May Montgomery County NC
Upper leaf surface of of C. mitchelliana (L) not as strongly W-shaped as C. crinita (R). — Eric Ungberg
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Eric Ungberg ung_perigynia
May Montgomery County NC
Perigynia of C. mitchelliana (L) flattened, tapered; C. crinita (R) ~ inflated, abruptly beaked, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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Eric Ungberg ung_pistillatescales
May Montgomery County NC
Widened portion of C. mitchelliana's pistillate scales (L) about 2x as long as C. crinita (R). — Eric Ungberg
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Eric Ungberg ung_pistillatespike
May Montgomery County NC
Pistillate spike.
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Eric Ungberg ung_pistillatespikes
May Montgomery County NC
Pistillate spike of C. mitchelliana (L) and C. crinita (R).
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Eric Ungberg ung_sheathsdorsal
May Montgomery County NC
Sheath backs scabrous - C. mitchelliana (on left); vs. glabrous - C. crinita (on right), per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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Eric Ungberg ung_staminatescales
May Montgomery County NC
Staminate spikes of C. mitchelliana (L) and C. crinita (R) are subtly different. — Eric Ungberg
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Carex mitchelliana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex mitchelliana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Carex mitchelliana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Carex mitchelliana
INCLUDED WITHIN
Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge (Wofford, 1989)
Carex crinita
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-103c:
Carex crinita var. mitchelliana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex mitchelliana
2735
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: swampy woodlands and forests, seeps, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare, with a scattered distribution throughout its range
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 (1-3 staminate & 3-6 pistillate, drooping)
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".