Rhynchospora odorata

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Plants perennial, cespitose, 100–180 cm; rhizomes often present, short, scaly. Culms erect to ascending, leafy, slender, angular. Leaves exceeded by culm; blades linear, proximally flat, 3–6 mm wide, apex tapering, trigonous, subulate. Inflorescences of terminal and axillary clusters, 3–5, proximalmost widely spaced, turbinate or lobed, fascicles dense, branches ascending; leafy bracts exceeding all but proximalmost clusters. Spikelets rich redbrown, ovoid, (4–)5–6(–7) mm, apex acuminate; fertile scales ovate, (3.5–)4–5 mm, apex acuminate, midrib short or longexcurrent. Flowers: perianth bristles 6, reaching past tubercle, antrorsely barbellate. Fruits mostly 3–4(–7) per spikelet, 3 mm with pedicellar joint and tubercle; body pale yellowbrown, obovoidlenticular, 1.4–1.7 × 1.4 × 1.5; surfaces transversely finely wavyrugulose, intervals vertically rectangularalveolate; pedicellar joint 0.3–0.6 mm; tubercle compressed, triangularacuminate, 0.5–0.6 (–1) mm, margin setulose.

Phenology: Fruiting summer–fall or all year (south).
Habitat: Sands and peats of swamps, marshes, interdunal swales, low meadows, savannas
Elevation: 0–200 m

Ala., Fla., Ga., N.C., S.C., West Indies (Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica).

Discussion

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa