Rhynchospora harperi
Rhynchospora globularis
Harper's beaksedge
globe beakrush, globe beaksedge
erect to excurved, leafybased, narrowly linear, ± terete.
erect or excurved, lax, leafy, slender to wiry.
shorter than culm;
blades ascending, narrowly linear, proximally flat or margins slightly involute, 0.5–1(–2) mm wide, distally canaliculate, apex trigonous, tapering, subulate.
overtopped by culm;
basal leaves spreading, twisted, distal longer, erect or ascending;
blades proximally flat, 1–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.
spikelet clusters 1–3, laterals 0–2, all turbinate to hemispheric, terminal internode usually excurved; leafy bracts setaceous, overtopping inflorescence.
spikelet clusters 1–4, proximalmost widely spaced, spikelets elongate, open, turbinate or compactlobed hemispheric;
branches erect to ascending; leafy bracts setaceous, exceeding proximal clusters, exceeded by distal clusters.
redbrown, lanceoloid, 5–7 mm, apex acute;
fertile scales lanceolate, (2.5–)4–5 mm, apex acute to acuminate;
midrib paralleled by several indistinct ribs, excurrent as short awns.
mostly dark brown to brown, globose to broadly ovoid, (2–)2.5–3(–4) mm, apex acute;
fertile scales broadly ovate to orbiculate, 1.7–2.3 mm, apex obtuse to rounded or emarginate, midrib mostly included, sometimes excurrent as apiculus.
bristles 6, reaching from mid tubercle to beyond tip.
perianth bristles 6 or less, antrorsely barbellate, of various lengths.
3(–4) per spikelet, 2.1–2.5 mm;
stipe and receptacle 0.2–0.3 mm, sparsely setose and setulose;
body glossy, brown with pale center, obovoid-lenticular, 1.1–1.5 × 1–1.1 mm, surfaces finely longitudinally lined, variably low papillatecancellate, also often transversely with wavy lines of dark dots;
tubercle flattened, triangular-subulate, (0.8–)0.9–1(–1.1) mm, setulose-ciliate.
1–3 per spikelet, 1.5–1–8 mm (–2 mm in var. pinetorum);
body tumidly biconvex;
surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals of vertically rectangular alveolae or transverserugosity indistinct, surface isodiametrically alveolate or cancellate;
tubercle shortconic to patelliformapiculate.
Rhynchospora harperi
Rhynchospora globularis
Rhynchospora harperi is most abundant in a very special habitat referred to here as the “Hypericum pond.” These are typically shallow ponds in pine savannas, frequently ringed by stands of Nyssa, Taxodium, Ilex, and Cyrilla, but most of the pond itself is dominated by one or more myriandrous shrubby Hypericum species. Here R. harperi is distinguished from other species by the often abrupt bend of its ultimate internode.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Spikelets ovoid; fruit body scarcely transversely wavy rugose, instead with transverse, undulate rows of subisodiametric to very broadly rectangular lattices or alveolae. | var. pinetorum |
1. Spikelets broadly ovoid to subglobose; fruit body distinctly transversely wavy-rugose, intervals composed of irregular rows of vertical, rectangular alveolae. | → 2 |
2. Perianth bristles not extending much beyond fruit midbody; tubercle low conic, distinctly narrower than rounded summit of fruit body. | var. globularis |
2. Perianth bristles extending at least to fruit tubercle, sometimes to tip; tubercle depressed conic or patelliform, apiculate, nearly as broad as more truncate summit of fruit body. | var. saxicola |
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