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