Rhynchospora fernaldii |
Rhynchospora elliottii |
|
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Fernald's beaksedge |
Elliott's beaksedge |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, cespitose, 15–50 cm; rhizomes absent. | Plants perennial, cespitose, 80–150 cm; rhizomes absent. |
Culms | erect or ascending, slender, leafy proximal to middle, somewhat stiff. |
erect with arching tops, leafy, obscurely trigonous, slender. |
Leaves | overtopped by culm; blades ascending, ± filiform, proximally flat or slightly concave, to 1 mm wide, apex narrowing, trigonous, abruptly blunt. |
overtopped by inflorescence; blades linear, proximally flat, 3–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering. |
Inflorescences | spikelet clusters 1–2, if 2 then close together, dense, broadly turbinate to hemispheric or even globose; primary leafy bract setaceous, exceeding clusters. |
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. |
Spikelets | redbrown, ovoid, 2–2.5(–4) mm, apex acute; fertile scales broadly ovate, 1.5–1.9(–2) mm, apex acute to acuminate, midrib excurrent as awn to 0.5 mm. |
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. |
Flowers | bristles 6, some reaching to apex of fruit body. |
perianth bristles 6, mostly spreading, usually exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate. |
Fruits | 2–3 per spikelet, 1–1.2(–1.4) mm; body dull dark brown with paler brown center, lenticular, broadly obovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 1 × 0.8 mm, margins narrow, flowing to tubercle; tubercle nearly equilaterally triangular, 0.2–0.3 mm. |
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. |
Rhynchospora fernaldii |
Rhynchospora elliottii |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall. | Fruiting late spring–fall or all year (south). |
Habitat | Sands and peats of low clearings in flatwoods, savannas, and bog edges | Sands and peats of bogs, shorelines, interdunal swales, savannas, and pine flatwoods |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; MS |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX |
Discussion | 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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 235. | FNA vol. 23, p. 229. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. fascicularis var. fernaldii | Phaeocephalum schoenoides, R. multiflora, R. schoenoides, Scirpus schoenoides |
Name authority | Gale: Rhodora 46: 182, plate 825, figs. 3A, B. (1944) | A. Dietrich: Sp. Pl. 2: 69. (1833) |
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