Rhynchospora caduca |
Rhynchospora scirpoides |
|
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anglestem beaksedge |
long-beak beaksedge |
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Habit | Plants perennial, cespitose, 70–150 cm; rhizomes often present, short, scaly. | Plants annual, cespitose, (20–)30–80(–100) cm; rhizomes absent. |
Culms | erect or ascending, leafy, trigonous. |
erect or ascending, leafy, nearly terete or obscurely angular, many-ribbed, stiff. |
Leaves | exceeded by culm; blades linear, proximally 4–7 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering. |
exceeding or exceeded by inflorescences; blades linear, proximally flat, 1–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering. |
Inflorescences | terminal and axillary; clusters 3–6, mostly dense, narrowly to broadly turbinate, branches ascending; leafy bracts exceeeding proximalmost inflorescences. |
terminal and axillary, clusters of corymbs 1–5, diffuse, branches ascending to divaricate; leafy bracts much exceeding axillary corymbs. |
Spikelets | rich brown, ovoid, (3–)4–5 mm, apex acuminate; fertile scales ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acuminate, midrib included or shortexcurrent. |
redbrown to dark brown, ovoidlanceoloid, 3–6(–7) mm, apex acute; fertile scales several, narrowly ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex narrowly acute; midrib included or shortexcurrent. |
Flowers | perianth bristles mostly 6, exceeding tubercle tip. |
perianth absent. |
Fruits | mostly 3–4 per spikelet, 2–2.2 mm; body brown on short pedicellar (to 0.3 mm) stalk, broadly obovoid, lenticular, 1.3–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, surfaces transversely rugulose, vertically finely striate and rectangularalveolate; tubercle compressed, triangular acuminate, 0.5–0.8 mm, edges setulose. |
1.3–1.5 mm; body brown to blackish, tumidly lenticular, nearly orbicular, 0.6–1 × 0.6–1 mm, margins distinct, narrow, flowing into base of tubercle; tubercle flat, narrowly triangular, at least 0.5 mm high, base broadly 2-lobed, apex acuminate. |
Rhynchospora caduca |
Rhynchospora scirpoides |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall. | Fruiting summer–fall or all year (south). |
Habitat | Low meadows, clearings, marshes, marsh borders, seeps, bog moats, savannas, ditches, pine flatwoods, swamps | Moist to wet sands or peats of banks of streams and ditches, pond and lakeshores, depressions in savannas, marshes, often in moist to wet disturbed areas |
Elevation | 0–400 m (0–1300 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA
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AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; IN; LA; MA; MD; MI; MS; NC; NJ; NY; RI; SC; TX; VA; WI; West Indies
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Discussion | Rhynchospora caduca has its closest relationships with the even more robust R. odorata Grisebach, on the one hand, and the swampinhabiting, more slender, and rhizomatous R. mixta Britton ex Small, on the other. Intergrades with R. odorata appear in Alabama and northwest Florida; intergrades with R. mixta appear where ranges overlap in both the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 223. | FNA vol. 23, p. 217. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Phaeocephalum caducum, R. patula | Psilocarya scirpoides |
Name authority | Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 62. (1816) | (Torrey) Grisebach: Cat. Pl. Cub., 247. (1866) |
Web links |