Native & Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas & Georgia

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4047

Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Documented growing wild in GA NC SC

Common in Coastal Plain (rare in Piedmont)

Look for it in sandhills, sandy woodlands, thin soils of rock outcrops, and dry, disturbed areas., per Weakley's Flora

map
To see a detailed map, click here

 

full sun partial shade ...Dry

LEAVES:
Simple

FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Bisexual
Superior ovary

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Nutlet

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA (5/21/15):
 Cyperus plukenetii   FAMILY Cyperaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
 Cyperus plukenetii   FAMILY Cyperaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (1968) 030-01-034:
 Cyperus plukenetii   FAMILY Cyperaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933)
 Cyperus retrofractus

SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
 Cyperus retrofractus var. retrofractus

 

COMMON NAME:
 Starburst Flatsedge, Plukenet’s Flatsedge, Plukenet’s Sedge

Click or hover over the thumbnails to see larger pictures.

image of Cyperus plukenetii, Starburst Flatsedge, Plukenet’s Flatsedge, Plukenet’s Sedge

JK Marlow    jkm161001_050

September    Chesterfield County    SC

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

The peduncles are of unequal length, the bracts shorter than longest peduncle, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.

image of Cyperus plukenetii, Starburst Flatsedge, Plukenet’s Flatsedge, Plukenet’s Sedge

JK Marlow    jkm161001_055

September    Chesterfield County    SC

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

Spikes strongly obovate, composed of many sharp, backward-oriented scales, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region.