Flora of the Southeastern United States

Carex biltmoreana Mackenzie. Common name: Biltmore Sedge. Phenology: May-Jun. Habitat: In thin soils on medium to high elevation granitic domes and other sloping rock outcrops, often dominant in thin-soil herbaceous mats wet by seasonal and post-rainfall seepage, and also occurring in adjacent woodlands under open to nearly closed canopy of Quercus spp., Fraxinus americana, Carya glabra, and Juniperus virginiana. Distribution: Endemic to sw. NC, nw. SC, and ne. GA (Rabun and Towns counties)

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Other Comments: This distinctive endemic sedge may be recognized by its robust size (culms to a meter tall, to 5 mm in diameter at the base), habit (large clumps on sloping rock outcrops), and restricted habitat (in periodic seepage on exfoliation domes). Once considered very rare, C. biltmoreana proves to be limited to a narrow range and distinctive habitat, but regularly present and even locally dominant on the 50-100 granitic domes within 100 km of Brevard, NC. It often occurs with other endemic species, such as Houstonia longifolia var. glabra, Krigia montana, Pycnanthemum montanum, and Packera millefolium. An excellent illustration appears in Massey et al. (1983).

Synonymy ⓘ: = FNA23, K4, NS, POWO, RAB, S, W, Mackenzie (1931-1935). Basionym: Carex biltmoreana Mack. 1910

Links to other floras: = Carex biltmoreana - FNA23

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Heliophily ⓘ: 8