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nodding beaksedge

brown beak-rush, horned beakrush, needle beaksedge, rhynchospore capillaire, slender beakrush

Habit Plants perennial, cespitose, 30–120 cm; rhizomes absent. Plants perennial, cespitose, 10–40 cm, wiry; rhizomes stoloniferous, slender, to 1.5 mm thick.
Culms

arching, leafy, droopingtipped, ± terete, ribbed, slender.

erect or curved, leafy, filiform, angularly fewribbed.

Leaves

ascending-excurved, overtopped by culm;

blades filiform, involute, apex setaceous.

Inflorescences

clusters of spikelets 3–6, progressively wider-spaced proximally, narrow, elongate; leafy bracts slender, mostly exceeding clusters.

spikelet clusters 1–2(–3), often sparse, ellipsoid or narrowly turbinate, less than 1 cm wide; subtending foliaceous bracts exceeding compounds.

Spikelets

redbrown, lanceoloid, 5–7 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales narrowly ovate, 4–5 mm, apex acuminate, midrib included or shortexcurrent.

erect or ascending, pale redbrown to brown, fusiform, 6–7 mm;

fertile scales elliptic, 4 mm, apex rounded or acute, midrib shortexcurrent or not.

Flowers

perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.

perianth bristles 6, overtopping tubercle base, mostly retrorsely barbellate, sometimes smooth [forma laeviseta (E.

Fruits

(1–)2–3(–4) per spikelet, 3–3.2 mm;

body brown, narrowly oblong-ellipsoid, flattened, 2 × 0.8–1 mm;

surface strongly transversely wavyrugose, vertically finely striate between ridges;

tubercle compressed, narrowly triangular-subulate, 1 mm.

1–4(–5) per spikelet, 2.5–3 mm;

body pale brown, slender stipitate, ellipsoid, lenticular, 1.5–2 × 0.8–1 mm;

surfaces longitudinally minutely striate, obscurely transversely lowrugose, dotted;

tubercle narrowly triangularsubulate, flattened, 0.8–1.7 mm.

Principal

leaves exceeded by culm;

blades spreading to ascending, narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2–3.5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.

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Rhynchospora inexpansa

Rhynchospora capillacea

Phenology Fruiting summer–fall. Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Sands, peats, clays, and silts of moist meadows, shores of ponds, flatwoods, disturbed low areas Moist to wet calcareous fens, seeps over limestones or calcareous rock, marsh meadows
Elevation 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; IA; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; AB; MB; NB; NL; ON; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The two beakrushes most commonly occurring in fens are Rhynchospora capillacea and R. capitellata.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 23, p. 222. FNA vol. 23, p. 213.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora
Sibling taxa
R. alba, R. baldwinii, R. brachychaeta, R. breviseta, R. caduca, R. californica, R. capillacea, R. capitellata, R. careyana, R. cephalantha, R. chalarocephala, R. chapmanii, R. ciliaris, R. colorata, R. compressa, R. corniculata, R. crinipes, R. curtissii, R. debilis, R. decurrens, R. divergens, R. elliottii, R. eximia, R. fascicularis, R. fernaldii, R. filifolia, R. floridensis, R. fusca, R. globularis, R. glomerata, R. gracilenta, R. grayi, R. harperi, R. harveyi, R. indianolensis, R. inundata, R. knieskernii, R. kunthii, R. latifolia, R. macra, R. macrostachya, R. megalocarpa, R. megaplumosa, R. microcarpa, R. microcephala, R. miliacea, R. mixta, R. nitens, R. nivea, R. odorata, R. oligantha, R. pallida, R. perplexa, R. pineticola, R. pleiantha, R. plumosa, R. punctata, R. pusilla, R. rariflora, R. recognita, R. scirpoides, R. solitaria, R. stenophylla, R. thornei, R. torreyana, R. tracyi, R. wrightiana
R. alba, R. baldwinii, R. brachychaeta, R. breviseta, R. caduca, R. californica, R. capitellata, R. careyana, R. cephalantha, R. chalarocephala, R. chapmanii, R. ciliaris, R. colorata, R. compressa, R. corniculata, R. crinipes, R. curtissii, R. debilis, R. decurrens, R. divergens, R. elliottii, R. eximia, R. fascicularis, R. fernaldii, R. filifolia, R. floridensis, R. fusca, R. globularis, R. glomerata, R. gracilenta, R. grayi, R. harperi, R. harveyi, R. indianolensis, R. inexpansa, R. inundata, R. knieskernii, R. kunthii, R. latifolia, R. macra, R. macrostachya, R. megalocarpa, R. megaplumosa, R. microcarpa, R. microcephala, R. miliacea, R. mixta, R. nitens, R. nivea, R. odorata, R. oligantha, R. pallida, R. perplexa, R. pineticola, R. pleiantha, R. plumosa, R. punctata, R. pusilla, R. rariflora, R. recognita, R. scirpoides, R. solitaria, R. stenophylla, R. thornei, R. torreyana, R. tracyi, R. wrightiana
Synonyms Schoenus inexpansus Phaeocephalum capillaceum, R. setacea, Triodon capillaceus
Name authority (Michaux) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 232. (1805) Torrey: Fl. N. Middle United States 1: 55. (1823)
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