Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Dioscoreales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Burmannia biflora
FAMILY
Burmanniaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
The odd flowers are violet-blue; there are usually several atop the stem. In actuality, it is the ovary that is colored blue, with three broad wings. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Burmannia biflora
FAMILY
Burmanniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Burmannia biflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 048-01-001:
Burmannia biflora FAMILY Burmanniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Burmannia biflora
COMMON NAME:
Violet Burmannia, Northern Bluethread, Blue Burmannia
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_bubi_001_lvd
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Keith Bradley kab_b_biflora_70181
October Marion County FL
Ocala National Forest
Corolla blue with a whitish tip, 3-6mm long & wide, and 3-winged, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
)
Keith Bradley kab_b_biflora_70190
October Marion County FL
Ocala National Forest
A slender almost thread-like stem that grows only to ~ 3-4", with a few tiny scale-like leaves, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Burmannia biflora
FAMILY
Burmanniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Burmannia biflora
FAMILY
Burmanniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Burmannia biflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 048-01-001:
Burmannia biflora
FAMILY
Burmanniaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Burmannia biflora
2992
Forb
Annual
Habitat: pine savannas, bogs, shores of Coastal Plain depression ponds, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain of GA & SC, uncommon in NC, 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
Alternate, scale-like
FLOWER:
Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall
Violet-blue
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
Petals absent or of 3 segments
3 stamens, inserted on the calyx tube
Inferior ovary
FRUIT:
Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p321
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p413
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p420
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p368
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p306
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".