Scleria verticillata Muhlenberg ex Willdenow. Savanna Nutrush, Low Nutrush. Phen: Jul-Sep. Hab: Wet calcareous pine savannas of the outer Coastal Plain, freshwater marshes and maritime wet grasslands on barrier islands influenced by salt spray and shell deposits, wet calcareous or mafic fens or seepages in the mountains, calcareous grasslands, also apparently spreading to ditches along Coastal Plain 'marl' roads (made from coquina limestone gravel). This species is a distinct calciphile, with only scattered occurrences in most of our area (north of FL). Dist: MA and ON west to MN, south to FL and TX. Previous reports of a much broader distribution (West Indies; Mexico, Central America, and South America) are based on other species segregated form S. verticillata.

ID notes: Scleria verticillata is a small, delicate, annual nutrush, lacking the tough horizontal rhizome of most other nutrushes. It is unique in our nutrushes in its elongate, erect inflorescence of sessile, well-spaced, small spikelets. The leaf sheaths are long-hairy. The roots are strongly fragrant.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, Bah, C, ETx1, F, FNA23, G, GW1, Il, K1, K3, K4, Mi, Mo1, NE, NY, Pa, RAB, S, S13, Tn, Tx, Va, WH3, Bauters, Larridon, & Goetghebeur (2019), Fairey (1967); = n/a – Tat

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL
• Great Plains: OBL
• Midwest: OBL
• Northcentral & Northeast: OBL

Heliophily ⓘ: 9