Rhynchospora macrostachya |
Rhynchospora mixta |
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tall beaksedge, tall horned beaksedge |
mingled beaksedge |
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Habit | Plants perennial, cespitose, 80–150(–170) cm, coarse; rhizomes absent. | Plants perennial, cespitose, 80–100 cm; rhizomes stoloniferous, often elongate, slender, to 1 dm or more. |
Culms | stiffly erect, leafy, triangular, multiribbed. |
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Leaves | ascending, overtopped by inflorescence; blades flat proximally, 3–10(–15) mm wide, apex attenuate, trigonous. |
exceeded by culm; blades lax, linear, proximally flat, 3–5 mm wide, apex abruptly narrowed, trigonous, subulate. |
Inflorescences | terminal and axillary, narrow, clusters of corymbs, clusters dense, mostly broadly turbinate, 13–15 mm; bracteal leaves mostly exceeding subtended compounds. |
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. |
Spikelets | brown, lanceoloid, 13–15 mm, apex acuminate; fertile scales lanceolate, 10–13 mm, apex acuminate, midrib shortexcurrent. |
lanceovoid, 3–4(–6) mm, apex acute to acuminate; fertile scales elliptic, 2.5 mm, apex acute, midrib forming mucro or awn. |
Flowers | longer perianth bristles usually fully 2 times length of fruit body, antrorsely barbellate. |
perianth bristles 6, overtopping tubercle, antrorsely barbellate. |
Fruits | 1–2 per spikelet, 20–25 mm; body pyriformobovoid, compressed, 5–6 × 2.6–3.6 mm; tubercle attenuate, 2-grooved, (15–)18–20(–21) mm. |
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. |
2n | = 18. |
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Rhynchospora macrostachya |
Rhynchospora mixta |
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Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall. | Fruiting summer–fall. |
Habitat | Acidic sunny wetlands, mostly pond shores, seeps, bogs, marshlands | Sandy silts of swamp forests and environs |
Elevation | 0–400 m (0–1300 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; NC; NJ; NY; OK; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA
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AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX
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Discussion | Rhynchospora macrostachya is quickly distinguished from other species of its complex by more compact clusters, arranged on successive mid and distal nodes to present a narrow inflorescence outline. Its perianth bristles and fruit tubercles are the longest in the complex, probably in the entire genus. (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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 209. | FNA vol. 23, p. 224. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Ceratoschoenus macrostachyus, R. macrostachya var. colpophylla | Phaeocephalum proliferum, R. prolifera |
Name authority | Torrey ex A. Gray: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 206. (1835) | Britton: in J. K. Small, Fl. S.E. U.S., 197, 1328. (1903) |
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