Rhynchospora fernaldii |
Rhynchospora glomerata |
|
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Fernald's beaksedge |
cluster beaksedge |
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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. |
excurvednodding, leafy, triangular, slender; principal leaves overtopped by culm; blades flat, 2.5–5 mm wide, apex attenuate, trigonous. |
Leaves | overtopped by culm; blades ascending, ± filiform, proximally flat or slightly concave, to 1 mm wide, apex narrowing, trigonous, abruptly blunt. |
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Inflorescences | spikelet clusters 1–2, if 2 then close together, dense, broadly turbinate to hemispheric or even globose; primary leafy bract setaceous, exceeding clusters. |
terminal and axillary, spikelet clusters mostly 2–6, compact, turbinate to hemispheric, 1.5–2 cm wide; peduncles progressively shorter distally on culm; bracteal leaves mostly exceeding subtended groups. |
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. |
crowded, deep redbrown, lanceellipsoid, 4.5–6.5 mm; fertile scales ovatelanceolate, 3.5–4(–4.5) mm, apex acute, midrib mostly shortexcurrent. |
Flowers | bristles 6, some reaching to apex of fruit body. |
perianth bristles 6, overtopping 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. |
(1–)2(–3) per spikelet, 3–4 mm; body dark redbrown with pale center, stipitate, lenticular, obovoid, or orbicular, 1.5–2 × 1.2–1.4 mm, base narrowed, margins pale, wirelike; surfaces slick; tubercle triangular-subulate, 1.3–1.5(–1.8) mm. |
Rhynchospora fernaldii |
Rhynchospora glomerata |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall. | Fruiting summer–fall. |
Habitat | Sands and peats of low clearings in flatwoods, savannas, and bog edges | Moist to wet meadows, swales, fens, flatwoods, and bogs, 0–500 m |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; MS |
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
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Discussion | Rhynchospora glomerata is often associated with R. capitellata and is distinguishable by its taller, slightly stouter habit; longer, slightly paler spikelets; and longer and broader fruit body. It is a common lowland weed in the southern Piedmont, Atlantic coastal plain, and Gulf coastal plain, where it is often more associated with R. inexpansa. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 235. | FNA vol. 23, p. 211. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. fascicularis var. fernaldii | Schoenus glomeratus, Phaeocephalum glomeratum, R. cymosa, R. glomerata var. angusta, R. glomerata var. paniculata, R. glomerata var. robustior, R. paniculata, Triodon glomeratus |
Name authority | Gale: Rhodora 46: 182, plate 825, figs. 3A, B. (1944) | (Linnaeus) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 234. (1805) |
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