Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Rhynchospora glomerata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Clustered Beaksedge at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
A rather common beaksedge that should be learned by field botanists as a comparison point for other species. It is a coarser plant than R. capitellata, its spikelet clusters larger and tending to arch outward and often causing the stem to lean. Read more in Weakley's Flora (2025).
(?) INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhynchospora glomerata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Rhynchospora glomerata
SYNONYMOUS WITH Rhynchospora (Cyperaceae) of South Carolina and the Eastern United States (McMillan, 2007)
Rhynchospora glomerata var. glomerata
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Rhynchospora glomerata
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Rhynchospora glomerata var. glomerata
INCLUDED WITHIN Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Rhynchospora glomerata
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-13-016:
Rhynchospora glomerata FAMILY Cyperaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN & ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Rynchospora glomerata
INCLUDED WITHIN -
Rhynchospora cymosa
COMMON NAME:
Clustered Beaksedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_rhgl3_001_pvd
)
JK Marlow jkm210706_1882
July Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Spikelet clusters compact; bracteal leaves mostly exceeding subtended groups, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm210706_1883
July Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Leaves 2.5-7mm wide, per Weakley's Flora (2020).
)
JK Marlow jkm210813_2800
August Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Spikelets crowded, deep red brown, lance ellipsoid, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm210813_2803
August Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Perianth bristles 6, overtopping tubercle, antrorsely barbellate, per Flora of North America.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Rhynchospora glomerata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
(?) INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhynchospora glomerata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Rhynchospora glomerata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Rhynchospora (Cyperaceae) of South Carolina and the Eastern United States (McMillan, 2007)
Rhynchospora glomerata var. glomerata
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Rhynchospora glomerata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Rhynchospora glomerata var. glomerata
INCLUDED WITHIN
Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Rhynchospora glomerata
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-13-016:
Rhynchospora glomerata
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN & ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Rynchospora glomerata
INCLUDED WITHIN
-
Rhynchospora cymosa
4463
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: pine savannas, bogs, acidic seeps inland, other wet habitats, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in Mountains of GA & SC, rare in NC Mountains)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & alternate, mostly 3-ranked, culms leafy ?
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Not rhizomatous
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".