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Mounted herbarium specimen

Stem x-section

Stem and leaf sheath x-section

Stem, leaf sheath and blade

Apex of leaf sheath

Leaf blade and leaf sheath

Leaf blade x-section

Spikelet

Flora scales and style branches

Floret

Immagture achene with tubercle

Mature achene

Author

Vanessa Tobias

Best recognition factors

Annuals; cone-shaped, with numerous dark brown spikelets; achenes small,  body covered with transverse ridges; tubercle broad, caplike, less than 1/3 the length of the achene, filaments persistent at maturity; style with 2 deeply forked branches.

Ecology

Grows in moist to wet sands and peats on banks of streams and ponds, depressions in savannas, and marshes; also drainage ditches, canals, and wet woodland edges and clearings.

Family

Cyperaceae (sedge family)

Flowering period

Summer to Fall or all year in warmer areas.

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Flowers

Perianth absent; filaments long, persistent at base of ovary; style branches 2, deeply forked, protruding from floral scales; scales dark brown, ovate to rounded-convex, 2-3.5 mm, apex acute, midrib mostly included.

Habit and stem features

Annual, 20-100 cm tall; stems cespitose or solitary; rhizomes absent; culms erect, glabrous, leafy, nearly terete or angled with many ribs.

Inflorescences

Diffuse clusters of  1-5 corymbs, terminal and axillary; bracts 2-3, leafy, exceeding proximal corymbs.

Spikelets cone-shaped, approximately 11 x 2 mm, apex acute; flora bracts many.

Leaves

Blades glabrous, linear, keeled, tapering with a trigonous apex, 1-5 mm wide; ligule absent; lobe present on sheath opposite blade; principal mid-culm leaves often exceed inflorescences

References

Godfrey, R.K. and J.W. Wooten.  1979.  Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States Monocotyledons.  University of Georgia Press.  Athens, GA.

 

Kral, Robert. 2003. Rhynchospora. In: Flora of North America North of Mexico. Cyperaceae. Vol. 23. Flora of North America Editorial Committee. Oxford University Press: New York and Oxford.

 

University of Florida, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.  2002.  Aquatic, Wetland, and Invasive Plant Particulars and Photographs: Rhynchospora nitens.  http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/rhynit.html.  Accessed 11/16/06.

 

USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 4 December 2006). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

 

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Synonyms

Psilocarya nitens (Vahl) Wood

Psilocarya portoricensis Britt.