Rhynchospora elliottii
Rhynchospora globularis
Elliott's beaksedge
globe beakrush, globe beaksedge
erect with arching tops, leafy, obscurely trigonous, slender.
erect or excurved, lax, leafy, slender to wiry.
overtopped by inflorescence;
blades linear, proximally flat, 3–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.
overtopped by culm;
basal leaves spreading, twisted, distal longer, erect or ascending;
blades proximally flat, 1–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.
spikelet clusters mostly 4–6, various in shape and crowding, narrowly to broadly turbinate;
peduncles erect, branches slender, ascending; leafy bracts exceeding all but most distal clusters.
spikelet clusters 1–4, proximalmost widely spaced, spikelets elongate, open, turbinate or compactlobed hemispheric;
branches erect to ascending; leafy bracts setaceous, exceeding proximal clusters, exceeded by distal clusters.
redbrown, broadly ellipsoid, (1.5–)2–3(–3.5) mm, apex acute;
fertile scales broadly ovate, 2–3 mm, midrib excurrent as apiculus or awn.
mostly dark brown to brown, globose to broadly ovoid, (2–)2.5–3(–4) mm, apex acute;
fertile scales broadly ovate to orbiculate, 1.7–2.3 mm, apex obtuse to rounded or emarginate, midrib mostly included, sometimes excurrent as apiculus.
perianth bristles 6, mostly spreading, usually exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.
perianth bristles 6 or less, antrorsely barbellate, of various lengths.
2–3(–4) per spikelet, 1.5(–1.7) mm;
body pale brown to brown, strongly flattened, obovoidorbicular, 1–1.2 × 0.8–1.1;
surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals vertically striate with very narrowly rectangular alveolae;
tubercle flat, triangular or concavely triangular, 0.3–0.5(–0.7) mm.
1–3 per spikelet, 1.5–1–8 mm (–2 mm in var. pinetorum);
body tumidly biconvex;
surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals of vertically rectangular alveolae or transverserugosity indistinct, surface isodiametrically alveolate or cancellate;
tubercle shortconic to patelliformapiculate.
Rhynchospora elliottii
Rhynchospora globularis
Rhynchospora elliottii is most likely to be confused in the field with its frequent associates R. microcarpa and R. perplexa. Most of the time it can be distinguished from both by its taller, coarser, broader-leaved habit and by its distinctly redder spikelets. Inspection of the fruit reveals the spreading character of the perianth bristles, these usually a length level with the tubercle tip or longer and giving the whole structure the appearance of an unengorged tick.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Spikelets ovoid; fruit body scarcely transversely wavy rugose, instead with transverse, undulate rows of subisodiametric to very broadly rectangular lattices or alveolae. | var. pinetorum |
1. Spikelets broadly ovoid to subglobose; fruit body distinctly transversely wavy-rugose, intervals composed of irregular rows of vertical, rectangular alveolae. | → 2 |
2. Perianth bristles not extending much beyond fruit midbody; tubercle low conic, distinctly narrower than rounded summit of fruit body. | var. globularis |
2. Perianth bristles extending at least to fruit tubercle, sometimes to tip; tubercle depressed conic or patelliform, apiculate, nearly as broad as more truncate summit of fruit body. | var. saxicola |
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