Rhynchospora fernaldii
Rhodora 46: 182, plate 825, figs. 3A, B. 1944.
Illustrator:
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Plants perennial, cespitose, 15–50 cm; rhizomes absent. Culms erect or ascending, slender, leafy proximal to middle, somewhat stiff. Leaves overtopped by culm; blades ascending, ± filiform, proximally flat or slightly concave, to 1 mm wide, apex narrowing, trigonous, abruptly blunt. Inflorescences: spikelet clusters 1–2, if 2 then close together, dense, broadly turbinate to hemispheric or even globose; primary leafy bract setaceous, exceeding clusters. Spikelets redbrown, ovoid, 2–2.5(–4) mm, apex acute; fertile scales broadly ovate, 1.5–1.9(–2) mm, apex acute to acuminate, midrib excurrent as awn to 0.5 mm. Flowers: bristles 6, some reaching to apex of fruit body. Fruits 2–3 per spikelet, 1–1.2(–1.4) mm; body dull dark brown with paler brown center, lenticular, broadly obovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 1 × 0.8 mm, margins narrow, flowing to tubercle; tubercle nearly equilaterally triangular, 0.2–0.3 mm.
Phenology: Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat: Sands and peats of low clearings in flatwoods, savannas, and bog edges
Elevation: 0–100 m
Distribution
Ala., Fla., Ga., Miss.
Discussion
Selected References
None.