Lipocarpha maculata

Common Name(s): Lipocarpha

Native to Florida

This small, tufted plant is occasionally found growing in wet ditches, flatwoods, and pond and swamp margins nearly throughout Florida. It blooms from spring to fall (Wunderlin, 2003). Its egg-shaped spikelets have 2 conspicuous leaf-like bracts. There are three Lipocarpha species that occur in Florida (Wunderlin, 2003). In the US, lipocarpha is located in the southeast, and extends north to PA (Kartesz, 1999).

Lipocarpha is a sedge. Stems tuft-forming, short, wiry, triangular, to 1 ft. tall; leaf blades from the base, wiry, shorter than stem; inflorescence a cluster of 1-several spikelets; bracts 2 long, conspicuous, several short; spikelets at stem tips, very small, egg-shaped, stalkless, white-to-tan-to-green, scales spirally arranged; nutlets tiny, tan, slightly 3-sided.