Rhynchospora miliacea
Rhynchospora elliottii
millet beaksedge
Elliott's beaksedge
lax, leafy, wandlike, ± terete to obscurely angled, slender.
erect with arching tops, leafy, obscurely trigonous, slender.
ascending, exceeded by culms;
blades flat, 4–7(–10) mm wide, apex trigonous, shortacuminate, tapering.
overtopped by inflorescence;
blades linear, proximally flat, 3–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.
spikelet clusters 4–6 or more, equidistant along culm on ascending peduncles, branches capillary, divaricate, clusters loose, diffuse, rounded.
spikelet clusters mostly 4–6, various in shape and crowding, narrowly to broadly turbinate;
peduncles erect, branches slender, ascending; leafy bracts exceeding all but most distal clusters.
light brown, ellipsoid to lanceoloid or ovoid, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acute;
fertile scales ovate, (1.5–)2–3 mm, apex rounded or acute, midrib forming apiculus.
redbrown, broadly ellipsoid, (1.5–)2–3(–3.5) mm, apex acute;
fertile scales broadly ovate, 2–3 mm, midrib excurrent as apiculus or awn.
perianth bristles 6, longest exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.
perianth bristles 6, mostly spreading, usually exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.
2–several per spikelet, 1.3–1.5 mm;
body pale brown, broadly obovoid, tumidly biconvex, 1.1–1.2 × 1–1.1 mm;
surfaces transversely sharply wavyrugulose, intervals with vertical, rectangular, shallow alveolae;
tubercle depressedconic, slightly compressed, 0.2–0.3(–0.4) mm, edges setulose.
2–3(–4) per spikelet, 1.5(–1.7) mm;
body pale brown to brown, strongly flattened, obovoidorbicular, 1–1.2 × 0.8–1.1;
surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals vertically striate with very narrowly rectangular alveolae;
tubercle flat, triangular or concavely triangular, 0.3–0.5(–0.7) mm.
Rhynchospora miliacea
Rhynchospora elliottii
The ultimate branches in Rhynchospora miliacea typically terminate in only one or two spikelets, the scales of which fall quickly, and the exposed fruits look like short miniature strings of beads.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Rhynchospora elliottii is most likely to be confused in the field with its frequent associates R. microcarpa and R. perplexa. Most of the time it can be distinguished from both by its taller, coarser, broader-leaved habit and by its distinctly redder spikelets. Inspection of the fruit reveals the spreading character of the perianth bristles, these usually a length level with the tubercle tip or longer and giving the whole structure the appearance of an unengorged tick.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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