Rhynchospora perplexa

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Common names: pineland beaksedge [1]

Rhynchospora perplexa
Rhynchospora perplexa NRCS.jpg
Photo by Robert H. Mohlenbrock hosted at USDA NRCS Plants Database.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida - Moncots
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Rhynchospora
Species: R. perplexa
Binomial name
Rhynchospora perplexa
Britton
RHYN PERP DIST.JPG
Natural range of Rhynchospora perplexa from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Taxonomic Notes

Synonym: R. microcarpa

Variety: R. perplexa var. virginiana (Fernald), Rh. perplexa var. perplexa

Description

R. perplexa is a perennial graminoid of the Cyperaceae family that is native to North America.[1]

Distribution

R. perplexa is found throughout the southeastern United States; particularly in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.[1]

Ecology

Habitat

Common habitats for R. perplexa include savannas, and sandhill seepage bogs.[2]

Some specimens have been found in dry sandy soil of longleaf pine regions and flatwoods, while others are from moist environments such as cypress gum ponds or moist soil deposits in pine woodlands as well as disturbed sites inlcuding roadsides and ditches.[3]

Rhynchospora perplexa is an indicator species for the Calcareous Savannas community type as described in Carr et al. (2010).[4]

Phenology

R. perplexa has been observed to flower in May.[5]

Fire ecology

Populations of Rhynchospora perplexa have been known to persist through repeated annual burning.[6]

Conservation, cultivation, and restoration

R. perplexa is categorized as a threatened species in the state of Tennessee.[1]

Cultural use

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 USDA Plant Database
  2. Weakley, A. S. (2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina Herbarium.
  3. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2018. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, R.K. Godfrey, Steve Orzell, Wilson Baker, William Reese, Paul Redfearn, Sidney McDaniel, Kurt E. Blum, N. Triplett Jr., R. Kral, Edwin Bridges, Travis MacClendon, Karen MacClendon. States and counties: Florida (Wakulla, Nassau, Liberty, Bay, Gulf, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Holmes, Leon, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Jackson, St. Johns) Georgia (Thomas, Colquitt)
  4. Carr, S.C., K.M. Robertson, and R.K. Peet. 2010. A vegetation classification of fire-dependent pinelands of Florida. Castanea 75:153-189.
  5. Nelson, G. PanFlora: Plant data for the eastern United States with emphasis on the Southeastern Coastal Plains, Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ Accessed: 29 MAY 2018
  6. Platt, W.J., R. Carter, G. Nelson, W. Baker, S. Hermann, J. Kane, L. Anderson, M. Smith, K. Robertson. 2021. Unpublished species list of Wade Tract old-growth longleaf pine savanna, Thomasville, Georgia.