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Rhynchospora megalocarpa A.Gray
Sandyfield Beaksedge
Florida native
A common beaksedge of sandhills and scrub in most of the Florida peninsula and the central and western panhandle. The range extends into the southeastern coastal plain from Mississippi to North Carolina.
Sandyfield beaksedge is a perennial with erect to arching culms that can grow up to 1.3m (51 in.) tall. Leaves are linear, 3-7mm wide and spirally arranged in three ranks. The inflorescence is in clusters of 2 to 6 spikelets. The styles have a small projection called a tubercle with a hard textured rim at the base. Fruits are rich mahogany to black convex achenes, often bulging in the middle and more than 2.8mm (1/8 in.) long.
Rhynchospora megalocarpa is a member of the Cyperaceae - Sedge family.
Other species of the Rhynchospora genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Rhynchospora ciliaris - FRINGED BEAKSEDGE
Rhynchospora colorata - STARRUSH WHITETOP
Rhynchospora latifolia - GIANT WHITETOP
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jun 28, 2023
