Rhynchospora pusilla |
Rhynchospora rariflora |
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fewflower beaksedge |
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Habit | Plants perennial, densely cespitose, 15–50(–60) cm; rhizomes absent. | Plants perennial, densely cespitose, 15–60 cm; rhizomes compact, branching, slender. |
Culms | erect or arching, leafy toward base, filiform, terete, wiry. |
lax,filiform, leafy, terete, grooved. |
Leaves | overtopped by culm; blades linear to filiform, channeled, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, margins deeply involute, apex setaceous. |
ascending to erect, exceeded by culm, blades lax, filiform, margins proximally deeply involute, apex trigonous, tapering. |
Inflorescences | spikelet clusters 1–2(–3), dense to open, narrowly to broadly turbinate; branches capillary, variously elongate; leafy bracts setaceous, equaling or exceeding clusters. |
mostly cymose clusters, simple or compound, 1–3(–4), widely spaced, loose, narrowly to broadly turbinate;, branchies capillary, ascending to spreading, leafy bracts setaceous, exceeded by or exceeding cymes. |
Spikelets | variously brown, ellipsoid, 2–3 mm, apex sharply acute; fertile scales ovate to nearly orbiculate, rounded, 1.2–1.8 mm, apiculate, convexcupulate, midrib slender, mostly included. |
light redbrown or brown, lanceovoid to fusiform, 3–4(–4.5) mm, apex acuminate, fertile scales ovate, mostly 2–3 mm, apex rounded to acute, midrib included or shortexcurrent. |
Flowers | perianth absent. |
perianth bristles mostly 6, unequal, rarely extending past fruit midbody, antrorsely barbellate. |
Fruits | 2–3 per spikelet, 0.7–0.9(–1) mm; body pale, obovoid-lenticular, (0.5–)0.6–0.9 × 0.4–0.5 mm, margin wirelike; surfaces transversely rugulose; tubercle buttonlike, depressed triangular, 0.05–0.1 mm, base lunate atop rounded fruit body. |
1–4 per spikelet, 1.8–2 mm, body yellowbrown to brown, lustrous, tumidly obovoidlenticular, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals vertically striate with narrow alveolae, tubercle flat, triangular, 0.3–0.6 mm. |
Rhynchospora pusilla |
Rhynchospora rariflora |
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Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall. | Fruiting spring–summer or all year (south). |
Habitat | Moist sands, peats and silts of low meadows, savannas, bogs, seeps, pond shores | Sands or peats of low savannas, seeps, bogs, flatwoods, pond shores, stream banks |
Elevation | 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) | 0–400 m (0–1300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; Mexico; Central America; West Indies |
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; West Indies
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Discussion | Rhynchospora rariflora forms solid tussocks by means of short, forking, compact masses of rhizomes. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 220. | FNA vol. 23, p. 221. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Phaeocephalum pusillum, R. intermixta | Schoenus rariflorus, Phaeocephalum rariflorum |
Name authority | Chapman ex M. A. Curtis: Amer. J. Sci. Arts, ser. 2, 7: 409. (1849) | (Michaux) Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 58. (1816) |
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