| Author | Chapman | |
| Distribution | Southern outer Coastal Plain only, documented from only 4 counties.
Coastal Plain, NC to central FL and southern MS. | |
| Abundance | Rare over this range, but locally numerous along or adjacent to the Waccamaw River (Brunswick- Columbus counties). The NCNHP database lists 11 records, most still extant, and with most also of good to excellent quality. This is a State Threatened species, perhaps owing to it being rather scarce globally (G3G4). | |
| Habitat | Blackwater swamp forests and marshy openings; mostly along the Waccamaw River in NC. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting July-September. | |
| Identification | This is a fairly robust species, as the stems are about 3 feet tall. The inflorescence begins erect, eventually arching over. The seeds are dark brown, flat-sided or slightly bi-convex, with many transverse ribs. The seed beaks are triangular, and the bristles are as long as the seed body or slightly shorter. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
Members of the genus Rhynchospora -- mainly called beaksedges but also called beakrushes -- are mostly Coastal Plain in distribution and are important members of our longleaf pine savannas, flatwoods, streamheads, depression ponds, Carolina bays, and beaver ponds. They vary from small and wiry to large and coarse. Keys concentrate on features of the achenes (seeds) and the shape and arrangement of the flower clusters (spikelets). The seeds may or not have bristles at their base; bristle number, length, and toothing are critical characters. Size and shape of the seed beaks is also critical. The drawings in Godfrey & Wooten (1979) are extremely helpful. The genus now includes Dichromena, the white-topped sedges. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | None | |
| State Rank | S1S2 | |
| Global Rank | G3G4 | |
| State Status | T | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | OBL link |
