Rhynchospora inexpansa, commonly called nodding beaksedge,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family (Cyperaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found in the southeastern United States and West Indies.[2][3] Its typical natural habitat is in moist meadows, flatwoods, and pond edges.[4] It is a weedy species that responds positively to ecological disturbance.[2]
| Rhynchospora inexpansa | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Rhynchospora |
| Species: | R. inexpansa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhynchospora inexpansa | |
Description
editRhynchospora inexpansa is a tufted perennial, with flexuous stems that droop at the tip. The cespitose plant reaches 30–120 cm (12–47 in) in height. The arching and drooping culms are slender and ribbed. The leaves exceed the culms. The ascending or spreading leaf blades are 2–3.5 mm (0.079–0.138 in) with a trigonous and tapering apex. The inflorescences consist of clusters of three to six spikelets progressively spaced further away from each other. The spikelets are narrow and elongated, and the leafy bracts are slender and exceed the clusters. The reddish brown, lanceoloid spikelets are 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long with acuminate apices. The flowers have six perianth bristles that exceed the tubercle and are antrorsely barbellate. The two to three brown fruits in each spikelet are 3–3.2 mm (0.12–0.13 in) long with a wavy rugose surface.[5]
It fruits from June to October.[6]
References
edit- ^ NRCS. "Rhynchospora inexpansa". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b Alan Weakley (2015). "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
- ^ "Rhynchospora inexpansa". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Rhynchospora inexpansa Flora of North America
- ^ Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). "Rhynchospora inexpansa". Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ Diggs, George; Lipscomb, Barney; Reed, Monique; O'Kennon, Robert (2006). Illustrated Flora of East Texas, Volume 1. Botanical Research Institute of Texas. p. 636.
