Rhynchospora gracilenta |
Rhynchospora scirpoides |
|
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slender beaksedge |
long-beak beaksedge |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, densely cespitose or solitary, 10–100 cm; rhizomes absent. | Plants annual, cespitose, (20–)30–80(–100) cm; rhizomes absent. |
Culms | mostly lax, ascending to leaningexcurved, leafy, linear to filiform, terete. |
erect or ascending, leafy, nearly terete or obscurely angular, many-ribbed, stiff. |
Leaves | shorter than culm; blades ascending, filiform to narrowly linear, proximally flat, 0.5–1.5(–2.5) mm wide, margins distally strongly involute, apex trigonous, tapering. |
exceeding or exceeded by inflorescences; blades linear, proximally flat, 1–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering. |
Inflorescences | spikelet clusters 1–3(–4), proximalmost distant, dense to sparse, narrowly turbinate to hemispheric; peduncles and branches ascending; leafy bracts linearsetaceous, mostly overtopping clusters. |
terminal and axillary, clusters of corymbs 1–5, diffuse, branches ascending to divaricate; leafy bracts much exceeding axillary corymbs. |
Spikelets | redbrown, ovoid to lanceoloid, (3.5–)4–5 mm, apex acute; fertile scales ovate, 3–4.5 mm, apex acute, mucronate to awnedcuspidate. |
redbrown to dark brown, ovoidlanceoloid, 3–6(–7) mm, apex acute; fertile scales several, narrowly ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex narrowly acute; midrib included or shortexcurrent. |
Flowers | bristles 6, mostly reaching tip of tubercle or beyond, antrorsely barbellate. |
perianth absent. |
Fruits | 1–3 per spikelet, (2.5–)3–3.5(–4.1) mm; body dark brown with small pale center, lenticular, broadly ellipsoid to suborbicular, 1.3–2.1 × 1.3–1.5 mm, smooth, margins narrow, flowing into tubercle; tubercle triangular-subulate, compressed, mostly 1.5–2 mm. |
1.3–1.5 mm; body brown to blackish, tumidly lenticular, nearly orbicular, 0.6–1 × 0.6–1 mm, margins distinct, narrow, flowing into base of tubercle; tubercle flat, narrowly triangular, at least 0.5 mm high, base broadly 2-lobed, apex acuminate. |
Rhynchospora gracilenta |
Rhynchospora scirpoides |
|
Phenology | Fruiting late spring–fall. | Fruiting summer–fall or all year (south). |
Habitat | Moist to wet sandy peaty substrates in ditches, bogs, seeps, wet savannas, barrens, and flatwoods | Moist to wet sands or peats of banks of streams and ditches, pond and lakeshores, depressions in savannas, marshes, often in moist to wet disturbed areas |
Elevation | 0–400 m (0–1300 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; Central America; West Indies (Cuba)
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AL; CT; DE; FL; GA; IN; LA; MA; MD; MI; MS; NC; NJ; NY; RI; SC; TX; VA; WI; West Indies
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Discussion | Through the southern coastal plain are widerleaved examples of Rhynchospora gracilenta that are sparingly cespitose to solitary-stemmed, often with but a single terminal inflorescence with dense clusters of spikelets (var. diversifolia). That would be a tenable designation were it not for the large numbers of populations with intermediate habit. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 236. | FNA vol. 23, p. 217. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Phaeocephalum gracilentum, R. drummondiana, R. gracilenta var. diversifolia, R. trichophylla | Psilocarya scirpoides |
Name authority | A. Gray: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 216. (1835) | (Torrey) Grisebach: Cat. Pl. Cub., 247. (1866) |
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