Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Basal Angiosperms (flowering plants): Nymphaeales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Cabomba caroliniana
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Cabomba from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Cabomba is sometimes mistaken for other, superficially somewhat similar aquatics, such as Ceratophyllum (Ceratophyllaceae), Utricularia (Lentibulariaceae), and Myriophyllum (Haloragaceae). Learn some ways to diferentiate them in Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cabomba caroliniana
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Cabomba caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Cabomba caroliniana
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Cabomba caroliniana var. caroliniana
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Cabomba caroliniana var. pulcherrima
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 075-01-001:
Cabomba caroliniana FAMILY Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cabomba caroliniana
COMMON NAME:
Fanwort, Carolina Fanwort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_caca_001_lvd
)
Keith Bradley kab_c_caroliniana_1518
August Richland County SC
Sesquicentennial State Park
Submerged lvs dissected; floating lvs peltate(unlike Brasenia, no "jelly"), per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
COMPARE
aquatic plants
)
Keith Bradley kab_c_caroliniana_1523
August Richland County SC
Sesquicentennial State Park
)
Frank Bridges fab_fanwort2
September Cobb County GA
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Petals are white with a yellow base, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Cabomba caroliniana
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cabomba caroliniana
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Cabomba caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Cabomba caroliniana
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Cabomba caroliniana var. caroliniana
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Cabomba caroliniana var. pulcherrima
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 075-01-001:
Cabomba caroliniana
FAMILY
Cabombaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cabomba caroliniana
2982
Submersed aquatic that sometimes also has floating leaves (rooted); Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Millponds, lakes, slow-moving streams, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in Coastal Plain, rare in Piedmont
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple - peltate
Submersed leaves opposite; floating leaves inconspicuous, alternate
Leaves have petioles.
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
White
with a yellow center
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals (usually)
3 petals (usually)
3-6 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Field Guide to Aquatic Plants of Alabama (Lovell, 2007) p37
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p031
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p050
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".