Rhynchospora oligantha

A. Gray

Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 212. 1835.

Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 218. Mentioned on page 201, 203, 217.
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Plants perennial, densely cespitose, knottybased, 20–40 cm; rhizomes absent. Culms filiform, leafy at base, wiry. Leaves ascending to erect; blades filiform, nearly terete, or channeled, sometimes compressed, nearly reaching distal inflorescence or much shorter, 0.2–0.3 mm thick, apex subulate. Inflorescences: spikelet clusters 2–6, simple or reduced to 1 spikelet, branches ascending to divaricate or reflexed; leafy bracts single per cluster, filiform, setaceous, with clusters appearing lateral to bracts. Spikelets pale redbrown, ellipsoidlanceoloid, 5–6 (–8) mm, apex acute to acuminate; fertile scales oblongelliptic, convex, acuminate, 3.5–5 mm, apex broadly acute, midrib forming apiculus. Flowers: perianth bristles 6, reaching to or slightly past tubercle base, increasingly plumose from middle to base. Fruits 1–3 per spikelet, (2.5–) 2.7–3 (–3.4) mm; body light-brown to brown, ellipsoidobovoid, distally conspicuously necked, tumidly lenticular, 1.7–2.5 × 1.5–1.8 mm; surfaces smooth or minutely transversely rugulose; tubercle conicsubulate, 0.5–0.7 mm, base flaring.


Phenology: Fruiting spring–summer.
Habitat: Sands and peats of bogs, depressions in savannas, open pinelands, seeps
Elevation: 0–200 m

Distribution

V23 377-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.J., N.C., S.C., Tex., Va., West Indies, Central America

Discussion

Rhynchospora oligantha is distinguished from other taxa of its complex mostly by the distinctive neck at the achene apex, a feature essentially absent in R. breviseta, its closest relative. Those two species have been heavily impacted by conversion of pine savannas to cropland or pine plantations; even with abandonment or clearing of such land, they are very slow to reoccupy the disturbed sites.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

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

... more about "Rhynchospora oligantha"
acute;acute;acuminate +
Robert Kral +
A. Gray +
flaring +
scabridulous +  and scabrid +
compressed +, channeled +, terete +  and filiform +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
light-brown +  and brown +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
warty +, papillate +, alveolate +  and pitted +
lenticular +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
reflexed +  and ascending +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
wiry +  and leafy +
filiform +
Ala. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, La. +, Miss. +, N.J. +, N.C. +, S.C. +, Tex. +, Va. +, West Indies +  and Central America +
0–200 m +
distalmost +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.34 cm3.4 mm <br />0.0034 m <br />) +
0.27 cm2.7 mm <br />0.0027 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Sands and peats of bogs, depressions in savannas, open pinelands, seeps +
racemose +, corymbose +  and paniculate +
erect +, rarely +  and spreading +
3-ranked +  and polystichous +
ascending;erect +
cauline +  and basal +
keeled;terete;keeled;terete +
revolute +  and involute +
decurrent +
plumed +  and barbed +
reaching +  and or slightly past +
deciduous +  and persistent +
shorter or longer +
of 2-12(-20) bristles +
Fruiting spring–summer. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York +
adventitious +
basal +  and proximal +
acuminate;convex;oblongelliptic +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
cylindric +
Illustrated +
pale redbrown +
1 +, 2 +  and 6 +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
2 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
cleft +, 2-fid +  and undivided +
rugulose +  and smooth +
Dichromena +  and Psilocarya +
Rhynchospora oligantha +
Rhynchospora +
species +
sulcate +  and 2-edged +
flattened +, terete +, triangular +  and conic +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
plant +  and cespitose +