Rhynchospora fernaldii |
Rhynchospora stenophylla |
|
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Fernald's beaksedge |
coastal plain beaksedge |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, cespitose, 15–50 cm; rhizomes absent. | Plants perennial, densely cespitose, 30–60(–90) cm; rhizomes forking, compact. |
Culms | erect or ascending, slender, leafy proximal to middle, somewhat stiff. |
lax, leafy toward base, filiform, ± terete. |
Leaves | overtopped by culm; blades ascending, ± filiform, proximally flat or slightly concave, to 1 mm wide, apex narrowing, trigonous, abruptly blunt. |
ascending, exceeded by culm; blades filiform, to 0.5 mm, margins mostly involute, apex trigonous, 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. |
mostly lax cymes or clusters of cymes, 1–2, sparse, turbinate, branches capillary; leafy bracts setaceous, exceeding proximal cymes, shorter than, equaling or slightly exceeding distal cymes. |
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, fusiformlanceoloid, 5 mm, apex acute; fertile scales lanceolate, 3.5–4.5 mm, apex acute or acuminate, midrib included or shortexcurrent. |
Flowers | bristles 6, some reaching to apex of fruit body. |
perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate, basally setose. |
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 per spikelet, 2.8–3 mm; body pale brown, obovoidpyriform, tumidly lenticular, 1.5–1 × 1 mm; surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals vertically striate with narrow, raised alveolae; tubercle flat, narrowly triangular-subulate, (0.8–)1–1.5 mm. |
Rhynchospora fernaldii |
Rhynchospora stenophylla |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall. | Fruiting spring–summer. |
Habitat | Sands and peats of low clearings in flatwoods, savannas, and bog edges | Sands and peats of bogs, seeps, pond shores, flatwoods, and savannas |
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 stenophylla may occasionally be confused with the closely related R. rariflora but can be distinguished by its taller and wispier habit, its longer spikelets of narrower outline, and the distinctly longer fruit tubercle. Both species are usually found on wet substrates; R. stenophylla typically is found in the deepest bogs and sphagnous seeps. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 235. | FNA vol. 23, p. 221. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. fascicularis var. fernaldii | |
Name authority | Gale: Rhodora 46: 182, plate 825, figs. 3A, B. (1944) | Chapman: Fl. South. U.S., 525. (1860) |
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