Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Carex tonsa
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
In the field it appears as a small tuft of fairly broad leaves with flowering stems usually hidden within, and therefore often passed by. It is very close to C. umbellata but differs in its longer perigynia. From C. rugosperma, it is told by the leaves smooth on the upper surface (vs. roughened). Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex tonsa var. tonsa
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Carex tonsa
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Carex tonsa var. tonsa
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Carex tonsa var. tonsa
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-042?:
Carex umbellata FAMILY Cyperaceae
COMMON NAME:
Shaved Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
JK Marlow jkm230320_1689b
March Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
Culms hidden among the leaves, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
JK Marlow jkm220421_7161
April Pickens County SC
Nine Times Forest
Young leaves short, broad, rigid (vs those of C. rugosperma & C. umbellata long, thin, flexuous), per Weakley's Flora (2023).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Carex tonsa
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex tonsa var. tonsa
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Carex tonsa
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Carex tonsa var. tonsa
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Carex tonsa var. tonsa
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-042?:
Carex umbellata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
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".