Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sericocarpus tortifolius
FAMILY
Asteraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Test-drive A Teaching Key to Asters.
See herbarium specimens at the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.
Read more about Sericocarpus at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sericocarpus tortifolius
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Sericocarpus tortifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-003:
Aster tortifolius FAMILY Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sericocarpus bifoliatus
COMMON NAME:
Twisted-leaf Whitetop Aster, Dixie Whitetop Aster
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_sebi7_001_lvd
)
Will Stuart wil_stortifolius_014
September Richmond County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Inflorescence roughly flat-topped, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
)
Will Stuart wil_stortifolius_017
September Richmond County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Stems densely pubescent. Leaves short & twisted (unlike other Sericocarpus), per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
)
Will Stuart wil_stortifolius_313
September Richmond County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
)
JK Marlow jkm161001_130
September Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
)
JK Marlow jkm161001_131
September Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
)
JK Marlow jkm161001_145
September Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Leaf blades obovate, margins entire, faces hairy, resinous, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm161001_146
October Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Phyllaries in 4-5 series, thumbnail-shaped, inner more linear, unequal, per Flora of North America.
)
Keith Bradley kab_s_tortifolius_7795
October SC
Manchester State Forest
Bracts at base of flowerheads distinctly green-tipped; 2-5 white ray flowers, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sericocarpus tortifolius
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sericocarpus tortifolius
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Sericocarpus tortifolius
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-47-003:
Aster tortifolius
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sericocarpus bifoliatus
2295
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Dry to mesic longleaf pine sandhills, other dry woodlands, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (rare in Piedmont)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Leaves cauline, basal rosette lacking, the mid-stem leaves the largest
Alternate (basal rosette absent or withered at flowering)
Leaves sessile
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Rays: White
Disc: White
Inferior ovary
Disc flowers bisexual & fertile/ Ray flowers pistillate & fertile
Flower heads in corymbs
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p180
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p113
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p047
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".