Rhynchospora fascicularis |
Rhynchospora inexpansa |
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fascicled beaksedge |
nodding beaksedge |
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Habit | Plants perennial, cespitose, 100–150 cm; rhizomes absent. | Plants perennial, cespitose, 30–120 cm; rhizomes absent. |
Culms | erect to excurvedascending, narrowly linear to ± filiform, terete to obscurely trigonous, leafy, densely so toward base, stiff to rather lax. |
arching, leafy, droopingtipped, ± terete, ribbed, slender. |
Leaves | overtopped by culm; blades linear, ascending, proximally flat, 1–4 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering gradually. |
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Inflorescences | spikelet clusters 1–3(–4), proximal mostly widely spaced, dense, broadly turbinate to hemispheric, to 2 cm broad; leafy bracts subulate, exceeding proximal spikelets, slightly or not exceeding most distal clusters. |
clusters of spikelets 3–6, progressively wider-spaced proximally, narrow, elongate; leafy bracts slender, mostly exceeding clusters. |
Spikelets | redbrown, narrowly ovoid, (3–)3.5–5 mm, apex acute; fertile scales ovate, 3–3.5(–4) mm, apex acute, mostly with cusp or mucro 0.5–1 mm. |
redbrown, lanceoloid, 5–7 mm, apex acuminate; fertile scales narrowly ovate, 4–5 mm, apex acuminate, midrib included or shortexcurrent. |
Flowers | bristles 5–6, from rudimentary to reaching tubercle tip, or (rarely) beyond, antrorsely barbellate. |
perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate. |
Fruits | 1–3 per spikelet, (1.5–)2–2.2(–2.5) mm; body dark brown with pale center, lenticular, broadly ellipsoid to ± orbicular, (1.3–)1.5–1.7(–1.9) × 1–1.5 mm, margins pale, narrow or narrowly rounded, flowing to tubercle; surfaces dull, minutely longitudinally striate; tubercle compressed, triangular to triangularsubulate, 0.5–0.7(–0.9) mm. |
(1–)2–3(–4) per spikelet, 3–3.2 mm; body brown, narrowly oblong-ellipsoid, flattened, 2 × 0.8–1 mm; surface strongly transversely wavyrugose, vertically finely striate between ridges; tubercle compressed, narrowly triangular-subulate, 1 mm. |
Principal | leaves exceeded by culm; blades spreading to ascending, narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2–3.5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering. |
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Rhynchospora fascicularis |
Rhynchospora inexpansa |
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Phenology | Fruiting late spring–fall or all year (south). | Fruiting summer–fall. |
Habitat | Sands and peats of interdunal swales, depressions in savannas, open flatwoods, and seep-bog edges | Sands, peats, clays, and silts of moist meadows, shores of ponds, flatwoods, disturbed low areas |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA; Central America; Bermuda
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AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA
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Discussion | In her revision, S. Gale (1944) treated var. distans as the more slender version of the species, one with a smaller inflorescence, more distinctly margined fruit body, and consistently elongate perianth bristles. All those character states appear to vary independently over the total range of the species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 239. | FNA vol. 23, p. 222. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Schoenus fascicularis, Dichromena distans, Phaeocephalum fasciculare, Phaeocephalum distans, R. distans, R. distans var. fascicularis, R. dommucensis, R. fascicularis var. distans, Schoenus distans | Schoenus inexpansus |
Name authority | (Michaux) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 234. (1805) | (Michaux) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 232. (1805) |
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