Rhynchospora pusilla Chapman ex M.A. Curtis. Dwarf Beaksedge. Phen: Jun-Sep. Hab: Wet pine savannas, especially in exposed wet sands of disturbed ground, such as roadsides. Dist: E. NC south to s. FL and west to e. TX; West Indies; Mexico (Tabasco, Chiapas), Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua.

ID notes:Rhynchospora pusilla, Rhynchospora divergens, and Rhynchospora thornei are all small, grass-like plants, very similar in appearance to one another. Rhynchospora pusilla is densely tufted and with threadlike leaves and stems, less than one foot tall. The spikelet clusters are rather loose and open (not tight or dense or headlike). The achenes are minute (0.6-0.8 mm long), biconvex, and horizontally ridged. It is much like R. divergens but the achenes of that species have smooth surfaces.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Synonymy: = ETx1, FNA23, GW1, K1, K3, K4, Tx, WH3, McMillan (2007); = Rhynchospora intermixta C.Wright – RAB; = Rynchospora intermixta – S; = Rynchospora pusilla M.A.Curtis – S13

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACW
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACW
• Great Plains: FACW

Heliophily: 8