Fragrant Beak Sedge

Plants perennial, cespitose, 100–180 cm; rhizomes often present, short, scaly. Culms erect to ascending, leafy, slender, angular. Leaves exceeded by culm; blades linear, proximally flat, 3–6 mm wide, apex tapering, trigonous, subulate. Inflorescences of terminal and axillary clusters, 3–5, proximalmost widely spaced, turbinate or lobed, fascicles dense, branches ascending; leafy bracts exceeding all but proximalmost clusters. Spikelets rich red brown, ovoid, (4–)5–6(–7) mm, apex acuminate; fertile scales ovate, (3.5–)4–5 mm, apex acuminate, midrib short or long excurrent. Flowers: perianth bristles 6, reaching past tubercle, antrorsely barbellate. Fruits mostly 3–4(–7) per spikelet, 3 mm with pedicellar joint and tubercle; body pale yellow brown, obovoid lenticular, 1.4–1.7 × 1.4 × 1.5; surfaces transversely finely wavy rugulose, intervals vertically rectangular alveolate; pedicellar joint 0.3–0.6 mm; tubercle compressed, triangular acuminate, 0.5–0.6 (–1) mm, margin setulose.

Ala., Fla., Ga., N.C., S.C.; West Indies (Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica).

Fruiting summer–fall or all year (south).

Sands and peats of swamps, marshes, interdunal swales, low meadows, savannas; 0–200m.

Phaeocephalum stipitatum (Chapman) House; Rhynchospora stipitata Chapman