Rhynchospora wrightiana |
Rhynchospora recognita |
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Wright's beaksedge |
globe beaksedge |
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Habit | Plants perennial, cespitose, 10–50 cm; rhizomes absent. | Plants perennial, cespitose, 60–100(–120) cm; rhizomes absent. |
Culms | slender, ± filiform, leafy, terete to bluntly trigonous. |
leafiest at base, trigonous, slender, somewhat stiff. |
Leaves | shorter than culm; blades spreading to ascending, ± filiform, proximally flat, 0.5–1(–1.5) mm, apex tapering, trigonous. |
exceeded by culms; basal blades spreading, blunt, distal ascending, linear, proximally flat, 2–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering. |
Inflorescences | spikelet clusters 1–3, loose to dense, widely spaced to close together, turbinate to hemispheric; leafy bracts setaceous, mostly exceeding spikelet clusters. |
spikelet clusters 3–5 or more, compact, proximalmost widely spaced, turbinate to hemispheric or lobed; peduncles ascending, branches ascending; leafy bracts setaceous at apex, exceeding compounds, setaceous bracts often exceeding ultimate clusters, imparting bristly aspect. |
Spikelets | dark redbrown, lanceovoid, 2.5–3.5(–4) mm, apex acute; fertile scales ovate, 2–3.5 mm, apex acute or acuminate, rarely minutely awned. |
redbrown, ovoid to lanceoloid, (2.7–)3–4 mm, apex acuminate; fertile scales ovate, 2.5–3 mm, apex acute, shortacuminate, or notched, midrib usually excurrent as cusp or awn. |
Flowers | bristles 6, of various length, mostly extending from fruit midbody to tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate. |
perianth bristles 6, not reaching further than fruit midbody. |
Fruits | 1–2 per spikelet, (2–)2–2.5 mm; body brown with pale center, lenticular, broadly ellipsoid, 1.5–1.7 × 1.2–1.3 mm, surfaces nearly smooth or very finely cancellate; tubercle flat, triangular with short-oblong, blunttipped nose, or triangularsubulate, 0.5–0.8 mm. |
1–3 per spikelet, (1.8–)2–2.3(–2.5) mm; body brown, tumidly lenticular, obovoid to suborbicular, 1.4–1.6(–1.8) × 1.2–1.5 mm; surfaces transversely sharply rugose, intervals of rows of vertical, variously rectangular alveolae; tubercle somewhat compressed, triangular to shortconic, 0.5–0.7 mm, shortsubulate, basal rim often present. |
Rhynchospora wrightiana |
Rhynchospora recognita |
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Phenology | Fruiting late spring–fall or all year (south). | Fruiting spring–summer(–early fall). |
Habitat | Sands and peats in flatwoods, pine savannas, pond and stream banks, bogs, and seeps | Sands, silts, clays, and peats of low meadows, ditches, low clearings, savannas |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 0–400 m (0–1300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; MS; NC; SC; VA; Central America; West Indies
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AL; AR; CA; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; Central America; West Indies
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Discussion | The morphologic boundary between Rhynchospora wrightiana and R. fascicularis (particularly morphs of R. fascicularis referred to R. fascicularis var. distans) is difficult, as recent annotations of the material testify. It is best to consider R. wrightiana as a lower, distinctly filiformleaved entity with darker brown, shorter spikelets and shorter fruit. Kükenthal’s concept of R. wrightiana appears to include a considerable amount of R. fascicularis var. distans. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Rhynchospora recognita has larger fruit and tubercles than is consistent with the varietal rank it has held under R. globularis. The two are often observed in the same locality, and in such cases, R. recognita is taller, stiffer, broader leaved, with spikelet clusters wider, denser, and bristlier, and with distinct orange tints in comparison with the darker, less dense, narrower, and less bristly spikelet clusters of plants of R. globularis. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 236. | FNA vol. 23, p. 225. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora | Cyperaceae > Rhynchospora |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. gracillima, R. distans var. gracillima, R. distans var. tenuis | R. globularis var. recognita, Dichromena cymosa, Phaeocephalum cymosum |
Name authority | Boeckeler: Flora 64: 78. (1881) | (Gale) Kral: Novon 9: 205. (1999) |
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