Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/13/22):
Carex cumberlandensis
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Carex cumberlandensis is most similar to C. abscondita, but it has only 4-8 perigynia per spikelet (vs. 8-13 in that species) and perigynia are arranged distichously on the axis (vs. spirally in C. abscondita). Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex abscondita
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Carex cumberlandensis
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-062?:
Carex abscondita FAMILY Cyperaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex abscondita
COMMON NAME:
Cumberland Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm220419_6994
April Pickens County SC
Peduncles of proximal spikes usually drooping or nodding, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
JK Marlow jkm220503_7508
May Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm220503_7512
May Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/13/22):
Carex cumberlandensis
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex abscondita
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Carex cumberlandensis
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-062?:
Carex abscondita
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex abscondita
4503
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Rich, mesic to dry, deciduous or mixed forests, especially over calcareous substrates, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in GA Mountains, uncommon in Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & low alternate, 3-ranked
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Loosely or densely cespitose [growing in dense tufts, clumping]
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Perianth absent
3 stamens
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Inflorescences: spikes (terminal spike staminate; 2-3 lateral spikes pistillate)
FRUIT:
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".