Scleria bellii LeBlond. Smooth-seeded Hairy Nutrush. Phen: May-Sep. Hab: Coastal prairies, wet pine savannas shallowly underlain by coquina limestone in the Coastal Plain, and apparently in diabase glades and barrens in the Piedmont. Scleria bellii is associated in the NC Coastal Plain with narrow endemics such as Thalictrum cooleyi, Allium species 1, and Carex lutea. Dist: Currently known from scattered sites from NC south to FL and west to TX; disjunct in Mexico and Cuba.

ID notes: In the field this very rare species resembles S. pauciflora, S. ciliata, and S. elliottii. From the former, its seeds are longer (2.5-3.5 mm long vs. 2.5 mm or less long). From the latter two species, its seed surface has low, indistinct bumps (tubercles) vs. abundant, distinctly raised bumps in those two species.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: See LeBlond, Tessel, & Poindexter (2015) for additional, detailed information.

Synonymy ⓘ: = K4, LeBlond, Tessel, & Poindexter (2015); = n/a – FNA23, GW1, RAB, S, S13, Tx

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Heliophily ⓘ: 9