Rhynchospora wrightiana
Rhynchospora stenophylla
Wright's beaksedge
coastal plain beaksedge
slender, ± filiform, leafy, terete to bluntly trigonous.
lax, leafy toward base, filiform, ± terete.
shorter than culm;
blades spreading to ascending, ± filiform, proximally flat, 0.5–1(–1.5) mm, apex tapering, trigonous.
ascending, exceeded by culm;
blades filiform, to 0.5 mm, margins mostly involute, apex trigonous, tapering.
spikelet clusters 1–3, loose to dense, widely spaced to close together, turbinate to hemispheric; leafy bracts setaceous, mostly exceeding spikelet clusters.
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.
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, fusiformlanceoloid, 5 mm, apex acute;
fertile scales lanceolate, 3.5–4.5 mm, apex acute or acuminate, midrib included or shortexcurrent.
bristles 6, of various length, mostly extending from fruit midbody to tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate.
perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate, basally setose.
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 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.
Rhynchospora wrightiana
Rhynchospora stenophylla
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 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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