Rhynchospora stenophylla |
Rhynchospora ciliaris |
|
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coastal plain beaksedge |
fringe beaksedge |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, densely cespitose, 30–60(–90) cm; rhizomes forking, compact. | Plants perennial, cespitose, 30–90 cm; rhizomes absent. |
Culms | lax, leafy toward base, filiform, ± terete. |
erect or ascending, terete to obscurely trigonous, multiribbed, densely leafybased, slender, stiff, papillose to scabridpuberulent. |
Leaves | ascending, exceeded by culm; blades filiform, to 0.5 mm, margins mostly involute, apex trigonous, tapering. |
forming strong rosette, distal widely spaced, much exceeded by scape; basal leaf blades shortlinear, flat, 4–6 mm wide, culm leaf blades narrower, longer, all ciliate, apex bluntly acute. |
Inflorescences | mostly lax cymes or clusters of cymes, 1–2, sparse, turbinate, branches capillary; leafy bracts setaceous, exceeding proximal cymes, shorter than, equaling or slightly exceeding distal cymes. |
terminal; spikelet cluster 1, crowded, hemispheric, often lobed, to 2 cm wide; bracts strongly ciliate distally; longer leafy bracts exceeding cluster. |
Spikelets | redbrown, fusiformlanceoloid, 5 mm, apex acute; fertile scales lanceolate, 3.5–4.5 mm, apex acute or acuminate, midrib included or shortexcurrent. |
dark redbrown, ovoid, 4–5(–6) mm, apex acute; fertile scales broadly ovate, 4–4.5 mm, apex blunt, sometimes apiculate or with mucro to 1 mm, midrib scabrid. |
Flowers | perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate, basally setose. |
bristles 6, some vestigial, none reaching past fruit midbody, antrorsely barbellate. |
Fruits | 1 per spikelet, 2.8–3 mm; body pale brown, obovoidpyriform, tumidly lenticular, 1.5–1 × 1 mm; surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals vertically striate with narrow, raised alveolae; tubercle flat, narrowly triangular-subulate, (0.8–)1–1.5 mm. |
1–2 per spikelet, (1.9–)2–2.5 mm; body dark brown with paler center, lenticular, broadly ellipsoid to orbicular, 1.6–2 × 1.5–1.6 mm, margins flowing to tubercle; tubercle lowtriangular, 0.5 mm, often apiculate. |
Rhynchospora stenophylla |
Rhynchospora ciliaris |
|
Phenology | Fruiting spring–summer. | Fruiting late spring–fall. |
Habitat | Sands and peats of bogs, seeps, pond shores, flatwoods, and savannas | Sands and peats in bogs, seeps, depressions in savannas, and low open pinelands |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC
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Discussion | Rhynchospora stenophylla may occasionally be confused with the closely related R. rariflora but can be distinguished by its taller and wispier habit, its longer spikelets of narrower outline, and the distinctly longer fruit tubercle. Both species are usually found on wet substrates; R. stenophylla typically is found in the deepest bogs and sphagnous seeps. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 221. | FNA vol. 23, p. 237. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Schoenus ciliaris, Phaeocephalum ciliatum, R. ciliata, R. rappiana | |
Name authority | Chapman: Fl. South. U.S., 525. (1860) | (Michaux) C. Mohr: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 6: 408. (1901) |
Web links |