Rhynchospora solitaria
Rhynchospora globularis
onespike beaksedge
globe beakrush, globe beaksedge
erect to ascending, narrowly linear, wandlike, terete, leafy proximal to middle.
erect or excurved, lax, leafy, slender to wiry.
erect to ascending;
blades proximally flat, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, apex tapering, tip abruptly blunt.
overtopped by culm;
basal leaves spreading, twisted, distal longer, erect or ascending;
blades proximally flat, 1–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.
terminal, cluster of spikelets crowded, broadly turbinate to hemispheric, to 1.5 cm wide; leafy bracts linearsetaceous, slightly exceeding cluster.
spikelet clusters 1–4, proximalmost widely spaced, spikelets elongate, open, turbinate or compactlobed hemispheric;
branches erect to ascending; leafy bracts setaceous, exceeding proximal clusters, exceeded by distal clusters.
orangebrown, lancefusiform, 6–7 mm, apex acuminate;
fertile scales lanceovate, 4–5 mm, apex acuminate with excurved awn to 1 mm.
mostly dark brown to brown, globose to broadly ovoid, (2–)2.5–3(–4) mm, apex acute;
fertile scales broadly ovate to orbiculate, 1.7–2.3 mm, apex obtuse to rounded or emarginate, midrib mostly included, sometimes excurrent as apiculus.
bristles 3–4, some reaching tubercle tip, antrorsely barbellate.
perianth bristles 6 or less, antrorsely barbellate, of various lengths.
1–2 per spikelet, 2–2.1 mm;
body brown with paler center, obovoidlenticular, 1.5–1.7 × 1.2–1.3 mm, margins flowing to tubercle;
surfaces finely transversely striate with minute pits;
tubercle lowtriangular, 0.3–0.5 mm.
1–3 per spikelet, 1.5–1–8 mm (–2 mm in var. pinetorum);
body tumidly biconvex;
surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals of vertically rectangular alveolae or transverserugosity indistinct, surface isodiametrically alveolate or cancellate;
tubercle shortconic to patelliformapiculate.
Rhynchospora solitaria
Rhynchospora globularis
Of conservation concern.
Rhynchospora solitaria appears to be the least common North American species of Rhynchospora with two of the five given localities apparently lost. The name “solitaria” is deceptive; the plants sometimes form small tufts of culms. The most distinctive feature in the field is the attractive orangebrown color of the narrow, acuminate, bristlescaled spikelets.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Spikelets ovoid; fruit body scarcely transversely wavy rugose, instead with transverse, undulate rows of subisodiametric to very broadly rectangular lattices or alveolae. | var. pinetorum |
1. Spikelets broadly ovoid to subglobose; fruit body distinctly transversely wavy-rugose, intervals composed of irregular rows of vertical, rectangular alveolae. | → 2 |
2. Perianth bristles not extending much beyond fruit midbody; tubercle low conic, distinctly narrower than rounded summit of fruit body. | var. globularis |
2. Perianth bristles extending at least to fruit tubercle, sometimes to tip; tubercle depressed conic or patelliform, apiculate, nearly as broad as more truncate summit of fruit body. | var. saxicola |
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