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Florida beaksedge

Torrey's beaksedge

Habit Plants perennial or annual, single or cespitose, (10–)20–50 cm; rhizomes absent. Plants perennial, cespitose, 50–100 cm; rhizomes absent.
Culms

spreading to erect, leafy, obtusely triangular.

ascending-excurved, leafy, ± terete, slender.

Leaves

often exceeding inflorescences;

blades narrowly linear, proximally flat, 1–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.

ascending, overtopped by culm;

blades narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.

Inflorescences

terminal and axillary, clusters of 1–5 corymbs; leafy bracts much exceeding corymbs.

spikelet clusters (1–)2–3, widely spaced, open to dense, broadly to narrowly turbinate, branches ascending to slightly spreading, capillary; leafy bracts setaceous-tipped, overtopping all but distal clusters.

Spikelets

few to several, on ascending, stiff, short-to-elongate branches, red-brown to brown, lanceoloid, (5–)6–10 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales many, ovate, shallowly convex, 5 mm, apex acuminate;

midrib short-excurrent or not.

light red-brown, ovoid, 3.5–5 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acute, midrib excurrent as cusp or mucro.

Flowers

perianth absent.

perianth bristles 6, reaching at most 2/3 length of fruit body, antrorsely barbellate.

Fruits

1.5 mm;

body dark brown to black, tumidly lenticular, nearly orbicular, 0.8–0.9 × 0.6–0.7 mm, margins grooved, discontinuous with tubercle;

surfaces transversely wavyrugose, ridges of contiguous rows of vertical, linear, raised cells;

tubercle broad, low triangular, 0.2–0.3 mm, crustaceous, base capping fruit summit, raised at ends, apex shortacuminate.

1–4(–5) per spikelet, 2 mm;

body brown, strongly compressed, obovoid-ellipsoid, 1.4–1.6 × 1–1.2 mm, margins flowing to tubercle;

surfaces finely transversely rugose, intervals with narrow vertical alveolae;

tubercle flat, low-triangular, 0.2–0.3(–0.5) mm.

Rhynchospora eximia

Rhynchospora torreyana

Phenology Fruiting all year. Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Moist to wet sandy peaty swales, pond shores, depressions in savannas, moist waste areas Sands and peats of low meadows, savannas, flatwoods, pond shores, ditch banks
Elevation 0–100[–1000] m (0–300[–3300] ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Africa
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; MA; MD; NC; NJ; NY; RI; SC; VA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rhynchospora eximia is often found at elevations from near sea level to over 1000 m in the tropics.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 23, p. 216. FNA vol. 23, p. 224.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora
Sibling taxa
R. alba, R. baldwinii, R. brachychaeta, R. breviseta, R. caduca, R. californica, R. capillacea, R. capitellata, R. careyana, R. cephalantha, R. chalarocephala, R. chapmanii, R. ciliaris, R. colorata, R. compressa, R. corniculata, R. crinipes, R. curtissii, R. debilis, R. decurrens, R. divergens, R. elliottii, R. fascicularis, R. fernaldii, R. filifolia, R. floridensis, R. fusca, R. globularis, R. glomerata, R. gracilenta, R. grayi, R. harperi, R. harveyi, R. indianolensis, R. inexpansa, R. inundata, R. knieskernii, R. kunthii, R. latifolia, R. macra, R. macrostachya, R. megalocarpa, R. megaplumosa, R. microcarpa, R. microcephala, R. miliacea, R. mixta, R. nitens, R. nivea, R. odorata, R. oligantha, R. pallida, R. perplexa, R. pineticola, R. pleiantha, R. plumosa, R. punctata, R. pusilla, R. rariflora, R. recognita, R. scirpoides, R. solitaria, R. stenophylla, R. thornei, R. torreyana, R. tracyi, R. wrightiana
R. alba, R. baldwinii, R. brachychaeta, R. breviseta, R. caduca, R. californica, R. capillacea, R. capitellata, R. careyana, R. cephalantha, R. chalarocephala, R. chapmanii, R. ciliaris, R. colorata, R. compressa, R. corniculata, R. crinipes, R. curtissii, R. debilis, R. decurrens, R. divergens, R. elliottii, R. eximia, R. fascicularis, R. fernaldii, R. filifolia, R. floridensis, R. fusca, R. globularis, R. glomerata, R. gracilenta, R. grayi, R. harperi, R. harveyi, R. indianolensis, R. inexpansa, R. inundata, R. knieskernii, R. kunthii, R. latifolia, R. macra, R. macrostachya, R. megalocarpa, R. megaplumosa, R. microcarpa, R. microcephala, R. miliacea, R. mixta, R. nitens, R. nivea, R. odorata, R. oligantha, R. pallida, R. perplexa, R. pineticola, R. pleiantha, R. plumosa, R. punctata, R. pusilla, R. rariflora, R. recognita, R. scirpoides, R. solitaria, R. stenophylla, R. thornei, R. tracyi, R. wrightiana
Synonyms Spermodon eximius, Psilocarya schiedeana, R. oxycephala, R. psilocaroides Phaeocephalum torreyanum
Name authority (Nees) Boeckeler: Linnaea 37: 601. (1873) A. Gray: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 197. (1835)
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