Rhynchospora miliacea

(Lamarck) A. Gray

Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 198. 1835.

Illustrated
Basionym: Schoenus miliaceus Lamarck in J. Lamarck and J. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 1: 137. 1791
Synonyms: Phaeocephalum miliaceum (Lamarck) House Rhynchospora sparsa (Michaux) Vahl Schoenus sparsus Michaux
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 226. Mentioned on page 205, 224.
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Plants perennial, cespitose, to 150 cm; rhizomes stoloniferous, slender. Culms lax, leafy, wandlike, ± terete to obscurely angled, slender. Leaves ascending, exceeded by culms; blades flat, 4–7 (–10) mm wide, apex trigonous, shortacuminate, tapering. Inflorescences: spikelet clusters 4–6 or more, equidistant along culm on ascending peduncles, branches capillary, divaricate, clusters loose, diffuse, rounded. Spikelets light-brown, ellipsoid to lanceoloid or ovoid, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acute; fertile scales ovate, (1.5–) 2–3 mm, apex rounded or acute, midrib forming apiculus. Flowers: perianth bristles 6, longest exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate. Fruits 2–several per spikelet, 1.3–1.5 mm; body pale-brown, broadly obovoid, tumidly biconvex, 1.1–1.2 × 1–1.1 mm; surfaces transversely sharply wavyrugulose, intervals with vertical, rectangular, shallow alveolae; tubercle depressedconic, slightly compressed, 0.2–0.3 (–0.4) mm, edges setulose.


Phenology: Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat: Sandy alluvium of swamp forests and gallery forests, low clearings forests
Elevation: 0–400 m

Distribution

V23 397-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tex., Va., West Indies

Discussion

The ultimate branches in Rhynchospora miliacea typically terminate in only one or two spikelets, the scales of which fall quickly, and the exposed fruits look like short miniature strings of beads.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number."wider" is not a number.

... more about "Rhynchospora miliacea"
rectangular +
acute;rounded;acute;tapering;trigonous +
Robert Kral +
(Lamarck) A. Gray +
2-lobed +  and lunate +
Schoenus miliaceus +
scabridulous +  and scabrid +
v--shaped +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
pale-brown +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
warty +, papillate +, alveolate +  and pitted +
biconvex +  and obovoid +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
cluster +  and divaricate +
rounded +  and capillary +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
less terete +  and obscurely angled +
slender +
Ala. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, La. +, Miss. +, N.C. +, S.C. +, Tex. +, Va. +  and West Indies +
0–400 m +
distalmost +
2;several +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Sandy alluvium of swamp forests and gallery forests, low clearings forests +
racemose +, corymbose +  and paniculate +
erect +, rarely +  and spreading +
3-ranked +  and polystichous +
cauline +  and basal +
keeled;terete;keeled;terete +
revolute +  and involute +
decurrent +
plumed +  and barbed +
deciduous +  and persistent +
shorter or longer +
of 2-12(-20) bristles +
Fruiting summer–fall. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York +
stoloniferous +
adventitious +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
basal +  and proximal +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
cylindric +
Illustrated +
equidistant +  and cluster +
ellipsoid;lanceoloid or ovoid +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
2 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
cleft +, 2-fid +  and undivided +
wavyrugulose +
Phaeocephalum miliaceum +, Rhynchospora sparsa +  and Schoenus sparsus +
Rhynchospora miliacea +
Rhynchospora +
species +
sulcate +  and 2-edged +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br />) +
compressed +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
plant +  and cespitose +