Rhynchospora harperi
Rhynchospora mixta
Harper's beaksedge
mingled beaksedge
erect to excurved, leafybased, narrowly linear, ± terete.
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.
exceeded by culm;
blades lax, linear, proximally flat, 3–5 mm wide, apex abruptly narrowed, trigonous, subulate.
spikelet clusters 1–3, laterals 0–2, all turbinate to hemispheric, terminal internode usually excurved; leafy bracts setaceous, overtopping inflorescence.
spikelet clusters 4–6, mostly widely spaced;
peduncles erect or ascending, slender;
branches capillary, divaricate, or widely spreading, to small clusters of 1–few spikelets; leafy bracts mostly exceeding 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.
lanceovoid, 3–4(–6) mm, apex acute to acuminate;
fertile scales elliptic, 2.5 mm, apex acute, midrib forming mucro or awn.
bristles 6, reaching from mid tubercle to beyond tip.
perianth bristles 6, overtopping tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.
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.
mostly 2–4(–several) per spikelet, (1.5–)1.8–2(–2.1);
body greenish or pale brown, broadly ellipsoid to narrowly obovoid, lenticular, 1.2–1.5 × 1–1.2 mm;
surfaces transversely finely wavy-rugulose, intervals vertically striatealveolate, or alveolae isodiametric;
tubercle flat, triangular-subulate, 0.5–0.6(–0.8) mm.
Rhynchospora harperi
Rhynchospora mixta
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.)
Some extremes of Rhynchospora caduca with more diffuse inflorescences are mistaken for R. mixta, particularly those in which ultimate inflorescence branches lead to solitary spikelets. In those rare instances one should find a somewhat larger spikelet and a broader fruit than is typical for R. mixta.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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